An Unexpected Change
by BMontgomery
Summary: Something unexpected happens after "The Cricket Game". Cora is in Storybrooke and she isn't going to stop until she gets her daughter back. Regina's life is going to change and, maybe, she gets a second chance for love. Regina must choose one side. Regal Cricket
1. Chapter 1 - Archie isn't dead

**Hey guys, here is a new story to you. I don't speak english very well so I believe that it has many errors.**

**This is corrected by now (at least I think it is) because I get a beta reader and I owe her, Thank you very much, Annie!**

**I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoy writing it. Please, let me know what you think, give me a chance?**

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CHAPTER 1 – ARCHIE ISN'T DEAD

After seeing Emma tell Henry that Regina was guilty of Archie's murder, Regina was devastated and hid in her house. It had been two weeks since anyone saw Regina and nobody dared to go to her house. They knew she was there because they could see the movement within the house, but they were afraid of her.

Henry didn't believe it the first time Emma told him, but when she told him what she saw and that she used magic to uncover the truth, he was so sad and disappointed with his mother. He thought she was changing for him, but now he realized that she would never change. He was angry and didn't want to think about the possibility of seeing or talking to her.

Two weeks ago, Archie was physically and psychologically tortured by Cora and Hook. He discovered Cora's plan to break her daughter and make everyone believe that she had killed Archie. It had been a good plan, taking into account that even he thought it was Regina. It all made sense now, Pongo's reaction was never like that with Regina, on the contrary, Pongo loved her. He didn't know what she had done in the past, but instead he ran to her. But that day was different, he should have realized. He should have realized that it wasn't Regina there, that she was different from the woman he knew.

Contrary to what everyone thinks, Archie is smart and one night he could hear a conversation between Cora and Hook.

"The problem is Regina, there's something wrong with her, she didn't turn against the city. Instead, she hid inside that damn house, two full weeks ago and nobody saw her, I need to fix that, I need to get her from there..." Cora said irritably to Hook.

"So it isn't as bad as you wanted, is it? Maybe she will give you more work than you thought" Hook said wryly.

"Don't play with me, Hook, you know what I can do and I'll do whatever it takes to recover Regina. I want my daughter back and together we'll burn this town to the ground. Henry can't stop us, nobody can. I saw the people in the city, no one believes her, no one. The only person who could do that is with us and she is being accused of killing him. Nobody cares about Regina and I will be there to show it to her_"_ Cora said firmly.

Archie heard the whole conversation and he knew he had to leave, he had to help Regina. It sounded like she could be broken. With Cora walking around, he was really worried about her. That woman was capable of anything, even hurting Regina if it was necessary or killing Henry, and he would not let that happen.

Archie took advantage of the fact that Cora and Hook were sleeping and managed to escape from the ship. He was very sore, but he managed to make his way to the center of town. He couldn't think straight, he just knew he had to help Regina in time and he would need Emma's help for that. He ran to the apartment that Emma shared with Snow and started beating on the door. A few minutes later Emma opened the door and couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was impossible because she had seen Archie's body, she had seen him dead and saw Regina killing him. How was it even possible that he stood there now? She was totally speechless.

"Emma, you gotta help me, we need to help Regina, she's in danger, everyone is! Come on we have to run, we have to be quick before..." Archie was speaking like a madman but Emma cut him off.

"Archie? You're alive? How is that even possible? I saw you dead, I saw your body, you were dead, how did this happen?" Emma was gaping and had so many questions to ask.

"Emma, listen to me, we have to go, it was all a frame from Cora, she..."

"Wait, Cora is here? In Storybrooke? How is that possible?" Emma asked scared.

All the noise caused Mary and David to wake up. When they saw Archie standing in the door, they froze.

"Oh my, Cora is here?" was all that Snow was able to say.

"She is here and we don't have time to talk, I escaped and I can't explain it now, but we have to help Regina before Cora wakes up, because she will be angry and she will do whatever it takes to get Regina and I don't know what happened while I was gone, but I know that no one saw or heard about her and I'm concerned. We need to go right now and find Regina..." Archie said barely taking time to breathe.

"Okay, you need to go to the hospital now!" David said.

"We don't have time for that, don't you understand?" Archie was screaming now and everyone could see how worried he was.

"Okay, how about this then? Emma and l will go to Regina's house and Henry and Snow will accompany you to the hospital" David decided.

"No, I'm going with you, something's wrong, I can feel it, something happened to Regina. You should have trusted her, Emma, I told you she was different! She would never kill anyone, not now that she is changing for Henry" Archie said angrily.

"Don't blame Emma, Cora is the guilty one here. Enough talking, I'll get Henry and take you to the hospital, you two go to Regina's house and bring her along, we need to be united and decide what to do when Cora wakes up." Snow said firmly, and she left to wake up Henry.

"Please be careful with Regina!" Archie shouted as David and Emma made their way towards the door.

Emma couldn't help but notice how Archie was so worried about Regina, and that he genuinely seemed to care about her, but she didn't have time to think about it too much. Emma and David drove quickly as they could to Regina's house and Emma had never felt so guilty. She should have believed Regina. Emma knew she was telling the truth, but the magic changed her mind. Maybe that was the price of magic they always spoke of, but in this case it was Regina who was paying the price. All that Emma could do was pray that Regina hadn't done anything wrong.

When they arrived at Regina's house, Emma realized that the light in Henry's room was on, maybe Regina was there. They knocked on the door but no one answered. Maybe she didn't hear them, maybe she was still asleep. But after nearly ten minutes of screaming and banging on the door, they realized that wasn't it. Maybe she just didn't want them there, but they needed to come in and talk to her. David had just decided to break the window when Emma stopped him. She realized that might not be such a good idea. What if Regina used her magic on them because they broke in? That definitely wouldn't be good.

Then Emma remembered the spare key that Henry had given her for emergencies and ran to her car to get it. When she returned, they went inside and climbed up the stairs, calling for Regina as they did, but no one answered. They looked in Henry's room because the door was open but it was empty. Then they went to Regina's bedroom and it was empty, too, just a messy bed and some wine glasses on the floor beside the bed. David decided to look downstairs while Emma kept searching up here. Something was wrong, she could feel it. They kept calling for Regina until a noise coming from the bathroom caught Emma's attention.

"Regina, are you there? It's me, Emma, we need to talk ... can I come in?"

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**What you think? Should I continue this? I have so many ideas... and I will appreciate your reviews, please?**

**Thanks for read until here!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Plans and Agreements

**I'm sorry for my english, but I think it is really better now because I get a great beta reader. Thank you so much, Annie ;)**

**To Ailec-12; Thank you for your support. I'm lucky because I found a wonderful beta reader.**

**To LilyOfTheValley8; I don't think I'll end your curiosity in this chapter, but you will not regret waiting for the next, I assure you. Thank you for your support.**

**To Addicted1; Thank you, thank you! It had been some time that I wanted to write something like Regina/Archie, but only now I had courage.**

**To Kagetora no Tsume; haha thank you for making me believe that my English is better than it really is.**

**To SkullGauddess; I can't assure you that Regina is okay but you will see it soon... I can't say nothing more! haha Have a nice read.**

**To Natali Rempel Drews; Thank you for encouraging me! Hope you like it.**

**To EmyBeverausen; Yep, me too, they would be so funny together because Regina is a woman who has a strong personality and Archie, (*-* ooown) Archie is the consciousness! I really believe that we would see scenes very entertaining if they were together. Thank you for read it.**

**To Nara Marina, I know you are reading it haha You can't control your curiosity, but I like it and you know that! Thank you, *-* migs.**

**So, here is the new chapter. I really hope you like it...**

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CHAPTER 2 – PLANS AND AGREEMENTS

Emma was scared, but she knew that Regina was inside and she had to be able to hear her. She waited for Regina to yell at her and send her away, but then a strange sound came from inside the bathroom, and Emma decided to enter. She wasn't prepared for what she saw. Regina was lying on the bathroom floor and she was crying in pain and fear, her arms were wrapped around her knees. She was pale and there was blood all over the bathroom floor and spotting all Regina's blue clothes, a lot of blood.

"Oh my God, Regina, what happened?" Emma was desperate now, because Regina definitely was not fine.

"Don't touch me!" Regina shouted to Emma, but she sounded much weaker than the two could imagine.

"Regina, what happened? You need to go to the hospital! Look at you, you're bleeding!" Emma said desperately while approaching the woman, completely ignoring what she had just said.

"Don't touch me, Miss Swan, get out, don't touch me!" Regina said as she tried to get away from Emma's arms, but she was growing weaker by the moment and the color was draining from her face.

"Regina, I messed up, please there is a lot you need to know, but not now! You need help Regina, let me take you to the hospital." Emma said as she touched Regina's face and felt the unusual heat emanating from the brunette.

"Oh my God, Regina, what's happening here? Why is there so much blood?" David said as he walked into the bathroom.

"We need to take her to the hospital NOW, David! Look at her, she needs help!" Emma was screaming now, but she didn't notice.

"Let me help you, let's go Regina!" David said as he reached down to pick her up.

"Don't touch me! I didn't kill Archie, I already told you, leave me alone... I... I'm not..." Regina was screaming, trying to look strong when in fact she could not hide the desperation behind her voice. Suddenly the pain became stronger than before, and everything went black.

"Shit, she passed out, we need to take her to the hospital right now." Emma said. David was already on his way out the door, carrying Regina in his arms. "Emma, she's burning up and... and there is so much blood... What happened to her? Was Cora here?" David was worried, frantically questioning Emma. He wasn't sure why, but somehow he felt that this was his fault too.

"I don't know, I just know that we have to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible" Emma said while she opened the door for David to put Regina inside the car.

The ride to the hospital didn't take five minutes, but for Emma and David it seemed like hours. David looked down at Regina's swollen eyes, her skin pink from crying, her hair soaked with sweat. He took a lock of hair that was stuck to her forehead and took a long look at the woman in his arms. When he did, he saw a totally broken woman, but she was still so beautiful. For years he believed she was nothing but the Evil Queen, but now? This was a different woman, someone who was really changing because of the love she felt for her son and they had ruined it. David didn't know exactly why, but at that moment he wanted to be able to take her pain, the pain caused by her mother, the pain that so many people caused, and especially the pain of being rejected by her son. Then, David prayed that everything was going to be okay.

"What happened to my mom?" Henry asked crying.

"Was it Cora? Did she do this to Regina? That woman is a monster!" Mary said, practically freaking out.

When David rushed in to the hospital carrying Regina's unconscious form in his arms, Emma started shouting and giving orders to the doctors. Mary and Henry ran toward them. Henry was horrified. He'd never seen his mother look so weak, and he'd never seen so much blood, much less her blood. Mary had already explained a bit of what she could to Henry and he was feeling guilty for not believing his mother. He began to cry and Mary was amazed by what she was seeing, her head was full of questions, but she only had time to try to move Henry away from Regina and let the doctors start working on her.

"I don't know, I don't know what happened, we got there and she was bleeding and scared. She said to not touch her and she suddenly fainted, I don't know what happened..." David tried to explain.

"Emma? Emma, what happened?" Mary asked her daughter.

"I don't know, what I do know is that we need help. We need magic here, Cora will realize that Archie is gone and she'll go crazy! We gotta do something, we need to protect Henry and Regina, that's all I know!" Emma said as she tried to come up with a plan.

"Gold! We need Mr. Gold. He and Regina are the only ones powerful enough to fight Cora and I don't think Regina will be doing that any time soon. We need him now and no matter what the price is, we have to protect Henry." Mary said.

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Mary and David went and talked to Mr. Gold, but it was not an easy conversation. He didn't want to get involved, but he knew Cora was evil and that she could easily decide to go after Belle. Belle asked him to help, to show her that he really wanted to change for her.

After some time of discussion and negotiation, Mr. Gold finally managed to get a plan together. It wouldn't last long, but he hoped it would be enough time for Regina to recover, so she could help him in the fight against Cora. He cast a spell on the hospital where nobody who had magic could enter, only Emma, the Blue Fairy and himself. He knew Cora would find a way to come inside sooner or later, but for now it was enough to protect Belle, Henry and everyone who was inside, including Regina. She was Cora's main focus now, and the only opportunity Gold would have to defeat her.

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Emma had given orders and threatened nearly everyone in the hospital. She told Dr. Whale that if he let anything happen to Regina he would be dead because she knows when someone is lying and if he had something to do with it, she would kill him.

Dawn came at the hospital, waking everyone who was inside. Belle, Henry, all the Charmings, Red and Granny, and of course Archie. He couldn't rest until he had explained everything that happened and everything that he knew. Everyone was startled by the news that Cora was in town and they started to feel guilty for blaming Regina.

After more than two hours in surgery, Dr. Whale finally appeared to tell them about Regina's situation.

"So? Is she okay?" Emma asked.

"What happened, Whale, is she alive?" David asked.

"I need to talk to the three of you now, and in private. It's very important!" Dr. Whale said as he led Mary, Emma and David in to a private room. He was pale as if he had seen a ghost and as soon as he closed the door he was bombarded with questions again.

"So? Is she alive?" Mary asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Come on, what happened?" David asked impatiently.

"Listen, if you killed her I told you, I'll kill you with my own hands-" Emma was starting to get nervous and upset with this lack of explanation when Whale interrupted.

"She's alive!" And everybody in the room let out a breath of relief. "But I don't know how to say this, I thought maybe Cora had done something, but this? I-"

"What? What is it?" Emma interrupted.

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**Okay, I'll stop with the secrets and I promise, in the next chapter you're going to know what happened to Regina!**

**Anyone want to try guess what's happening?**

**I love if you review it to me, so please REVIEW!**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	3. Chapter 3 - Surprise!

**Hey guys, here is the third chapter. As promised, let's end the mystery.**

**To Metope; Hey, I think I can stop there hahaha it's fun to see you guys getting curious. By the way, I'm from Brazil! and u?**

**To Hannah Holloway; I'm super glad that you loved it. You'll know what happened with Regina and I'm happy because I think you are wrong about what happened to her. Thank you for read it.**

**To Guest 1; I'll try to improve over the chapters but not give up on me, ok? Please, give me a chance! haha Yep, many people thought about suicide attempt but I think you hit! I hope you enjoy the chapter and not be disappointed with me. Oh, please, leave me your name in the next time.**

**To Ailec-12; I don't know what you was thinking but I hope you are wrong and I can surprise you... but I hope you like it. Thank you!**

**To SkullGauddess; I think I'll end up with your nervousness in this chapter, or not! haha**

**To Danae; Congratulations! haha You guessed it. I hope I can still hold you in my story for a long time... don't forget to leave me your review saying what you think about this chapter. I will love to know what is it!**

**To Kagetora no Tsume; haha Hey, I hope you like it!**

**To Guest 2; haha You'll know it! I'm glad you loved it. Thanx!**

**To Marina Masterson; Obrigada, amiga. Mas pode parar com a vergonha, por favor? Quero ver você comentando e me deixando reviews em todos os capítulos que eu postar, está entendido? Eu tenho uma surpresa para você nesse episódio e aposto que você vai pensar "de novo? ela sempre faz isso" mas é que eu amo histórias assim. Espero que você goste e se divirta lendo. A Cora sempre vai ser uma vaca, cachorra e não vai ter desconto nem na minha fanfiction. A sua ansiedade para saber o que aconteceu com Regina e o que vai acontecer quando ela encontrar o Archie vai acabar toda nesse episódio (em partes;). Espero que goste migs e deixe-me seu comentário, pela nossa amizade! haha**

**To Ana Paula Mesquita; estou te enrolando um pouco amiga, mas em breve eu sei que você vai ler isso por que eu não vou aguentar não te contar. Então, aqui já vai o meu OI e o meu Espero que você goste haha! Deixe-me comentário, por favor ;)**

**To Annie; THANK YOU SO MUCH! You're an amazing beta reader and you're helping me so hard! Please, don't give up on me!**

**To everyone; Thank you for reading it, for following my story and favorite it. I love the feedback I'm getting! Thank you guys.**

**Hope you like this chapter and don't forget to leave me your review. No matter if it is good or bad!**

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CHAPTER 3 – SURPRISE!

"She was having a... a miscarriage!" Dr. Whale said as calmly as he could so that everyone could understand.

"What? How is that possible? My God, Regina was pregnant? How can she be pregnant?" Snow asked, finding that hard to believe.

"Oh my God… Who's the father?" Charming asked shocked.

"Is the baby dead?" Was the only thing that Emma could ask and it was no more than a whisper.

"No, isn't dead, but they aren't doing very well. Regina lost a lot of blood and I had trouble stopping the bleeding when she arrived here. I really don't know what to say. If they can make it through the night, they might be okay but… I really don't know...I ... I'm as surprised as you and I-" Whale was at a loss of words, just as shocked as the rest of them.

"Who is the baby's father? I mean, who would sleep with the Evil Queen?" Snow said "I haven't been around recently but-"

"Oh my God, of course! Archie! Archie is the father." Charming said, interrupting Snow. "I'm sure, ask him, Regina spent a lot of time with him for therapy and she really was changing, she was getting better after Daniel was here, she was broken and he-"

"Wait! Daniel? Daniel, Regina's Daniel was here? Where is he now?" Snow even more surprised now.

"Who is Daniel?" Emma asked.

"That is a long story and I will explain it to you later, Emma, but Snow, what you need to know is that Daniel was here. Whale brought him back, but he wasn't the Daniel that Regina knew, he was a monster and Regina had to kill him so-" Charming was cut off by Snow who started yelling.

"What? Regina killed him? Oh my god! What happened?" Snow asked.

"She had to do it, but what's important is that Archie helped her through it, she was getting better. I'm sure he knows something about this... ask him." Charming said.

The four went to Archie's room looking for the answers they needed. They didn't want to tell anyone else yet, not until Regina woke up. They got straight to the point and asked Archie if he had slept with Regina and if so, how long had it been going on. At first Archie was afraid to answer, but he knew they must have already figured it out somehow, and that Emma would know if he was lying. He told them all what happened and everyone in the room was surprised.

"She came to me after Daniel's death and told me what happened, she was so sad and broken that it was clear she wasn't the Evil Queen anymore. She was really changing for Henry, she wanted to be a better person, she was even looking for a way to bring you both back from the Enchanted Forest. I don't know how it happened, I just... I only know that it happened and... it will never happen again, I promise. Regina pretended that it never happened, because she was so embarrassed and angry when she woke up in my bed and... I don't know why I'm even telling you this, it's so weird, I-" Archie told his story, but he was cut off by Dr. Whale.

"How long?" Dr. Whale asked.

"What? Why are you even asking me this? I shouldn't have told you about it, Regina will be furious with me, she'll even kill me, I-"

"How long has it been since you slept with her?" Dr. Whale asked now a little more agitated and nervous.

"A little over a month ago, maybe about six weeks, I think, why?" Archie asked.

Snow, Charming and Emma let out a sigh, they already knew what that meant.

"Well, Regina is six weeks pregnant" Whale said.

"What? Regina is pregnant... What? Oh my God! She is... with my child? She must hate me right now, where is she? I... I need to see her and talk to her." Archie said nervously.

"She is hospitalized... she was suffering a miscarriage, Archie, and I don't know if the baby will survive until tomorrow, but if it does I think they will both be okay. Regina just got out of surgery and I put her in a room." Whale explained "I don't think she knows about the baby yet, so we're all keeping quiet about it but if you want to see her... I can-"

"I do, I do want to see her, I... I just need to see her, she... she... I mean... I'll be a father? I... I never even thought about that and... I don't know what to say... I just..." Archie stammered.

"Come with me, I'll take you there." Whale said.

Archie was taken to Regina's room and spent the rest of the night there, sitting by Regina's bedside, waiting for her to wake up so maybe they could talk about what happened. He hoped she wouldn't freak out at the sight of him before they got a chance to discuss things.

Emma sat in the hallway outside Regina's room because she didn't want anyone going in there and she still needed to apologize to Regina, everyone needed to. Snow and Charming were in the waiting room, along with Ruby, Granny, Belle and Henry who was sleeping on one of the couches. Tomorrow would be a very long day, and they all knew they could only rest at least until dawn, because then Cora and Hook would realize that Archie was missing.

It was about 8 am when Regina started to wake up. She was dizzy and as soon as she opened her eyes, a huge light hurt her eyes, forcing to close them again. Gradually, getting used to the glare in her eyes, she finally managed to open them. She didn't know where she was, she didn't remember being here before, but it seemed familiar. Then she heard a machine that was whistling, like a beep, and she looked around, realizing she was in the hospital. But how was that possible? It took a few more seconds for her to realize someone was holding her hand. She didn't have much time to think. She glanced down and couldn't believe what she was seeing, it was Archie. Archie sat beside her sleeping away, but that was impossible because he was dead. She ignored the pain and began pulling the wires that were glued on her skin. She left the room struggling to do so quietly and walked through the door. She started walking as fast as she could, trying not to show how scared and lost she was.

"Regina? What are you doing here?" Emma asked when she saw Regina, looking as pale as if she had seen a ghost.

"He... he's in there..." Regina whispered, terrified and hardly believing what she was saying.

"What are you talking about, Regina? You shouldn't be out here, you're-"

"Don't you understand? He's in there, Miss Swan... you said that... he was dead and... he's in there sleeping right next to my bed... how is that poss-" Regina whispered, freaking out as she did.

Finally Emma realized what Regina was talking about, and she remembered that Regina still didn't know that Archie was okay. She didn't even know that her mother was here, and Archie probably hadn't had the opportunity to speak with her yet. She also noticed Regina was leaning against the wall to keep herself up. She shouldn't even have come out of that bed.

"Regina, Archie isn't dead, we need to talk, something happened, but you need to go back to bed, you're not okay. In fact you shouldn't even be out here, come on, I'll take you back and call Dr. Whale" Emma said as she tried to drag Regina back to her room.

"You're crazy, Miss Swan, I'm not going back... to that room at all and I'm fine... I just need... I just need a little... air and..." Regina said but she was growing dizzier every second and her legs seemed like lead.

"Regina? Regina, are you okay? You look-"

"Emma, I... I don't feel good... I think I... I think I'll..." Regina couldn't finish the sentence before collapsing.

"Somebody help me, I need help here, someone call Dr. Whale, NOW!" Emma shouted as she ran desperately trying to keep Regina from falling in the floor.

The hospital couldn't be more busy. Nurses rushed back and forth frantically, trying to keep everything under control. Regina was sedated again. Snow and Charming heard Emma's screams and rushed to see what was happening, followed by a sleepy Henry. Archie was sent out of Regina's bedroom and banned from going inside until further notice, because his presence had scared Regina earlier.

Cora woke up and went to Regina's house, just as she'd done in the weeks before, but she didn't notice that Archie had escaped because it was Hook who had the task of making him talk. When Hook realized that Archie was missing and Cora wasn't there, he assumed that she had taken him somewhere, so he had no idea what was really happening. As soon as Cora got to Regina's house she could tell something was different, but wasn't sure what exactly it was.

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About two hours later, Regina began to wake up. Dr. Whale and Emma were the only ones who were in the room then. Once Emma realized that Regina was awake and listening to them, she began to explain what was happening.

"Regina, I know you're confused, but we're here to explain everything, okay?" Emma said trying to sound reassuring.

"What's happening? Why am I here? Archie, he isn't dead?" Regina was frantically asking questions, and her eyes began to fill with tears when she spoke about Archie." You told me he was dead, you said-"

"Regina, I'm sorry, I should have believed you. Today, Archie appeared at my door, he was bruised and nervous, I could hardly believe what I was seeing until he explained what had happened. When I said I had seen you killing Archie, I wasn't lying, it was a set up Regina. Cora is here, in Storybrooke, I don't know how she-"

"What? Cora is here? In Storybrooke? oh my god, where's Henry? She'll kill him, we need to save him, how did she get here? Damn-" Regina was going crazy and tried to get out of bed, but was stopped by Emma and Dr. Whale.

"You need to calm down, Regina, this isn't good for you in your situation, you should be resting" Whale said as he positioned himself beside Regina's bed ready to stop her if she tried getting up again.

"It's ok, Regina, Henry's here in the hospital, Cora won't be able to touch him, he-" Emma said, but then Regina interrupted her.

"What? What happened to Henry?" Regina asked, terrified for her son.

"Nothing happened, Regina, calm down, he's here because-"

"Don't you dare tell me to be calm! You don't understand, I know my mother and I know what she is capable of, I shouldn't even be here discussing this with you, I should be hiding Henry, I have to protect him-" Regina snapped and tried to get out of bed, but Dr. Whale prevented her again.

"No, Regina, I may not know your mother like you do, but I do know what that bitch is capable of, and I wouldn't be here if Henry wasn't safe. We made a deal with Mr. Gold and he cast a spell on the hospital where nobody with magic can enter or leave, except for me, the Blue Fairy, Mr. Gold and you of course." Emma quickly said.

"What? What kind of deal did you make? Mr. Gold is a snake, what is he making you do in return?" Regina asked. She was terrified, because she knew the consequences of making a deal with that man.

"Regina, we can talk about that later, right now you need to tell me… do you know what happened? Do you remember?" Emma asked.

"I... I don't know, I was at home and... and I went to the bathroom and there was blood, so much blood, I didn't understand what was happening, and then it started hurting and... I don't remember" Regina said, confused.

"You don't remember David and I being there?" Emma asked, but Regina just shook her head no.

"Well, Regina, I don't know what to say. You arrived here at the hospital unconscious and you were bleeding profusely. Everyone though Cora had done something to you, but when I took you to the operating room and I tried to stop the bleeding... well... I realized then that you were having a miscarriage." Whale explained.

"What? I... I had a miscarriage? But... how is that possible? I don't... I'm not... I mean... I wasn't pregnant, there must be some mistake or something else because I..." Regina couldn't form a complete sentence. Without doubt, she was the most shocked of all.

"There's no mistake, I did some tests, Regina, and it confirmed what I already suspected, you're six weeks pregnant." Whale said.

"I'm pregnant? How is that possible? I-" Regina ran a hand over her belly, but she still couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Who else knows about this?"

"Well, me, Emma, Snow, David and Archie" Whale said.

"What? Archie knows? Why did you tell him?" Regina asked.

"Well, when we found out you were pregnant, we could barely believe it. We were trying to figure out who the father might be, and David thought it could only be Archie. We asked him and he said he had had a relationship with you, about sex weeks ago. It didn't take much to connect the dots" Whale explained "and someone needed to take responsibility for the baby while you were unconscious."

"Oh great, it's wonderful to know that my intimate life is public now" Regina said, looking embarrassed and a little upset.

"Regina, you won't be able to hide it for long... I don't know what you want to do now, but I think you need to talk with Archie and Henry too." Emma said "He's really worried about you. When you came in all covered with blood he-"

"YOU LET HENRY SEE ME IN THIS STATE? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Regina shouted.

"Regina, that's enough! We don't have time to be discussing this, it's not important... we have to stop fighting, for Henry, and we have to stay on the same side if you want to stop Cora. Once she realizes that Archie is gone and you're not at home, you know she'll be furious!" said Emma.

It was then that Regina realized what a dangerous situation she was in, with her mother in Storybrooke and wanting revenge, and Henry was her weakness. And now she was pregnant too! But Regina didn't have time to think about what effect that would have on her life or Henry's life, she just knew what her mother would do. _Damn_. She had to stop her mother. Her head was spinning. So many thoughts and ideas were flying through her head at once, she didn't know what to do. Then she remembered, Archie was alive. Her only friend, the only one who trusted her and who she could trust was alive. Maybe this baby could be a new chance for her after all, a new beginning.

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**In the next you'll see the meeting between Regina and Archie.**

**Please, leave me Reviews! and sugestions...**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**Bárbara**


	4. Chapter 4 - We Need to Talk

**Hey everybody! First, I'm so sorry for the delay to update it, but here is the chapter four!**

**To Ailec-12; Uhu! I'm so glad that I could surprise you, your wait is finished haha Hope you like this chapter.**

**To Hannah Holloway; hey, I'm glad you liked it... please continue with me here!**

**To SkullGauddess; Yep! we're going to have a little Regal Cricket running around (: OR NOT! I don't know haha I'm kidding...**

**To Marina Masterson; I quit you! You can be a better friend if you review my story but no, you don't do this...**

**To Annie; I'll always be grateful to you! Please, don't give up on me, okay?**

**To everyone; Thank you for read it, for follow my story and favorite it. I love the feedback that I am having! Thank all of you guys.**

**Enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER 4 - WE NEED TO TALK

Archie was waiting outside Regina's room while Emma and Whale chatted with her. Archie wanted to talk with her, tell her that everything was fine, tell her what happened and say that she still could trust him, if she wanted to. And have the baby. He didn't know why but he was so happy. It was the baby of Evil Queen, but it was his child too. He didn't know what Regina would say about it but he would not allow her to abort his baby even though he had to oblige, even if it was with magic.

After some time and some yelling, Emma and Dr. Whale left the room and asked for Archie to come in. They had much to discuss.

"Archie? You're alive!" Regina said when she saw him entering the room with teary eyes. The simple fact of thinking that he might be dead and that she was alone once again had scared the hell out of her.

"I'm here, Regina, I'm here." Archie ran toward her and was surprised when she pulled him into a hug. He was not expecting that but he let her cry in his arms.

"I thought you were dead... they told me that you were dead and I thought I would never see you again... they were accusing me of killing you but I would never do that, not any more. I'm sorry, I was upset because you mentioned our sessions to Miss Swan but I didn't want to say that. I'm sorry, you know I will never hurt you, you're my only friend, the only one I can trust. I'm so sorry Archie." Regina said while crying and stammering. She was so sad and he could hear it in her voice. He had to work several times harder in order to understand what she was talking about.

"It's okay Regina, I'm fine and I know you didn't mean it." Archie said rubbing circles on Regina's back trying to calm her.

"It's all my fault, Archie. My mother, she came here after me and she took you, I'm sorry, please…" Regina said but was cut off by Archie who was very angry now. How could this woman blame herself for what her mother had done? Her mother was a monster and he realized how much Regina suffered while she had been living with that woman.

"You don't need to apologize, you did nothing to me, Regina, your mother did. Not you!" Archie said while hugging her and it made her pour all of her sadness out on his shirt.

A few minutes passed and Regina finally calmed down. Archie was surprised because Regina was still hugging him, but she may not have realized it. Archie needed to talk about the incident that they had. Regina was pregnant and they had to talk about it.

"Regina, we need to talk about, you know, that night..." Archie stammered.

"You got me pregnant, bug!" Regina came out of his grasp and hit his arm as she screamed. "I should kill you for real now".

"Maybe, but that didn't happen suddenly, I mean, I wasn't having sex alone." Archie said as he reveled in the face of horror that Regina had when he spoke about them having sex.

"Never say that again, never again. What if Henry hears us? He'll hate me for that, he will say that... I cast some spell on you" Regina was getting increasingly ashamed.

"Henry will not think so, he'll love the idea of having a little brother or sister, trust me!"

"And what makes you believe I'm going to keep this child?" Regina said arrogantly.

Archie was speechless. How can she say something like that? How could she even think of taking away her child? She can't do this. This isn't an option and the simple idea of her saying something like that, made him scared and angry.

"What? I can't believe you said that! After everything you've been through, you have the courage to say that? You have a new chance here, Regina, to have Henry back, to have a new family, to start things the right way and you're ruining everything. You can't do anything without my opinion because this child is also mine! Are you listening? If I have to tie you up, then I will, but you will not take my child from me!" Archie was screaming and clutching Regina's arms but he had no intention of hurting her. He didn't even realize that he was hurting her until he saw tears in her eyes and her squirming. "Regina, I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you, I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention, it's just..."

"Alright Archie, you're right, alright, I'm an idiot and I screwed up everything, I always screw up everything, I wasn't thinking, I just… I made this decision because I'm feeling very confused and vulnerable and it is not good, Archie" Regina said with tears again.

"Okay, Regina, everything will be fine... we'll handle it ok? Don't worry. And Henry? He was so worried about you, he couldn't forgive himself for not going after you. He feels guilty and I guess you should talk to him, he loves you so much." Archie said.

"Archie?"

"Hmm?"

"Please don't tell Henry about the baby yet. I want... I need some time. It's all very new to me still... and..."

"It's okay, Regina, we'll wait. I'll go get him now."

Archie finally brought Henry in, who was extremely nervous.

Henry was ashamed for not having trusted her, for not running after her. He knew she was the Evil Queen but now she was changing for him, she was trying. She even dared to bring Emma and Mary Margaret back to Storybrooke. What if she hated him now and didn't want to see him? He was being consumed by fear and shame.

Slowly he entered the room where Regina was and she didn't see him coming. She was lying on her bed with her eyes closed and she looked so different, she was pale, without makeup and yet she was the most beautiful woman he knew. But her appearance was tired and he knew she had been crying. He decided to call to her softly so as not to frighten her.

"Mom?"

What she wanted most was hear Henry calling her mom because she had missed him and she was afraid he didn't love her anymore. She can't control the joy that went to her heart by the simple sound of that word and she can't control her anxiety.

"Hi, Henry!" Regina said softly with a sheepish smile on her face.

"How are you feeling? I was so worried, mom!" Henry said quietly and was embarrassed to look at her. Regina realized that he was afraid to approach.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired and..." Regina took a deep breath "Henry, I missed you so much" Regina said as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Henry ran to his mother, he missed her. Her arms, her kisses, her words of comfort. It was so long ago that he had turned away from her and only now he realized he couldn't live without her because she was his mom. Always would be. "Me too, mom, I missed you so much" Henry said through tears as she hugged his mother.

Regina couldn't feel happier at that moment. She forgot all her troubles and fears, she had Henry in her arms, her boy, her beloved boy was there and he was in her arms saying he missed her. She couldn't feel happier.

"Forgive me mom, please? I couldn't believe it when Emma said that you had killed Archie but when she said she had used magic and saw you, I was so sad, I thought you had done that, I'm sorry." Henry said tearfully.

"Henry, it's okay, baby, it's alright... I love you!" Regina whispered in his ear.

"No, Mom, nothing is alright. What happened to you? I thought you would die, my god, I was so scared because I realized that you're my mom, I love you so much Mom, please forgive me, I'm sorry, I love you!"

"I'm fine Henry and seriously I have nothing to forgive you for, you did nothing." Regina said as she shook Henry in her arms.

"Then why are you crying? Why you are in that hospital bed? Why was there so much blood yesterday?"

"Oh my love, it was nothing. I'm crying because I'm happy that you are here and aren't mad at me, that's all." Regina smiled.

They stayed that way for a long time, Regina was so happy and she didn't want Henry to leave her arms. She had missed him so much and he couldn't run the risk of losing her again. So they fell asleep holding each other.

When Emma came into Regina's room she encountered the two lying in bed. Henry was wrapped in Regina's arms and the two were asleep. Only now she understood that driving them apart was a bad idea. In fact, Emma was Henry's biological mother but Regina had taken care of him all his life. She knew him like no one else did and she was the image of mother to him. She always took care of him, even when she was a bitch to the whole city, she was his mother, she cared for him and would do anything for him, anything, even die.

She didn't know what Regina and Archie had decided about the baby, but she knew that Henry would be very happy with the idea of being a big brother. He might be angry at first but then he would be the happiest person in the world and she knew it.

Maybe Emma should consider leaving Henry to stay a little longer with Regina, because, after all, this woman was changing for him. There was no chance he'll live with her, not totally, but he should spend more time with Regina, he'd be happier. Emma knew that Henry missed Regina, even though he said otherwise.

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**In the next you will see Cora trying to enter in the hospital**

**Please, leave me reviews and sugestions...**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	5. Chapter 5 - She's Here

**Hey guys, how are you doing?**

**Here is the chapter five and I hope you enjoy it. Please, forgive me if it contains many grammatical errors.**

**To Hannah Holloway; You was right! I changed the last chapter because I hadn't realized that Henry had called Regina as "mother". I don't see Henry calling her like it too haha Thank you for letting me know. "Yes, Emma trying to take henry away from Regina was a very bad idea lol !" absolutely!**

**To Ailec-12; haha You wasn't the first one that realized it haha but believe me I didn't see that when I was rewritting from Portuguese to English... thank you for letting me know that, btw I changed the last chapter because of it ok? haha Thank you, thank you. Oh, about Henry being a big brother... I really think he will be so glad!**

**To Addicted1; Hey I had missed you! Oh, Henry's concern was definitely something I wanted to do and I really wanna see it happening in the show, but a real concern. The fight between Regina and Archie was indeed sad but I loved it! You will understand better over the chapters... Don't disappear again please?**

**To MyEvilQueen26; you asked, I update! haha I'm glad you liked it! I can't tell you what baby's gender is but you will get a little surprise, I assure you! I have no idea how long my story will be but it's long.**

**To Annie; Thank you my beta reader! I'm glad you liked my story and you always help me even it isn't with my story. THANK YOU!**

**To everybody; Thanks for read my story, for follow me and favorite it! You're amazing guys! Thank you for all support and feedback!**

**Enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER 5 – SHE'S HERE

Cora returned to Hook's ship with a strange feeling that something was wrong with Regina. She spent the whole morning watching the house and for the first time in two weeks nothing happened in the house. Any moves.

Just then she noticed a nervous Hook that ran towards her.

"Cora, where were you? I have been looking for you all morning" Hook said nervously.

"What is it, dear, miss me?

"No, you don't understand. Archie... Archie disappeared, he-"

"What?" Cora yelled at him angrily "How did this happen, what did you do? Hook you are so stupid"

"I did nothing, Cora, when I woke up and went to see him, he was no longer there, he must have been given a way to get out."

"I knew something was different! He must have gone to warn Regina, and also the Charmings and told them that Regina was not guilty. Now there is no movement in the house, she's not there!" Cora shouted angrily. "I have to fix that, I have to find Regina."

Cora went to Regina's house and began looking everywhere, searching for some clue or sign of Regina or where she might be. When she got to the bathroom and saw the blood on the ground, she was worried. There was a lot of blood there and if it was Regina's blood then something was wrong, she could only be in the hospital.

When Cora approached the hospital she saw Emma's yellow car. She knew there was something different in the air around the hospital, she could feel it. There was a smell that was strange, it's the smell of something powerful, something like magic. She disappeared in purple smoke and concentrated on the hospital, but she can't enter. She reappeared outside the hospital, somehow something was preventing her entry in that place and it made her furious. She tried again at least twice more, until she realized that she would not be able to enter, there was magic protecting the hospital.

Belle was reading a book and Granny was sleeping. Ruby, who was waking from a tiring morning, began to sense a different smell coming from outside the hospital and when she looked out the window, she could see someone disappearing in smoke. She can only think of two people, Regina or Cora and because Regina was hospitalized, it could only be Cora.

Ruby ran to where Emma, David and Mary were and told them what she had seen. Then, they ran to Regina's room, who was startled by the sudden entrance of them and ended up waking Henry who also seemed confused by the two worried faces.

"What is it? What happened?" Regina said.

"Are you okay?" Henry said of his waking state of drowsiness.

"She's here, Regina, Cora is here" Emma said.

Regina suddenly turned pale and fear went through her spine. "What? How do you know? Oh my God, Henry, she came to pick up Henry!" Regina said horrified.

"I saw her out there, I think she was trying to enter, but only saw her disappearing into purple smoke" Ruby said.

"Damn" said Regina preparing to get out of bed.

Emma pushed her back into bed and tried to reassure her.

"She will not come here Regina, Mr. Gold cast a spell on the hospital, she can't come up here, anyone with magic can't do this, just me, Mr. Gold and the Blue Fairy." Emma said looking into her eyes.

"You don't know my mother, she is powerful, pretty powerful. If she wants to go, then she'll go, she'll find a way, you can be sure!" Said Regina screaming at Emma who was still trying to keep her in her bed.

"You're right, I don't know her, but I know she didn't come here because otherwise this hospital would already be in flames, we'll deal with it. Me, you and Gold. Now you need to recover because we need you to fight against Cora and if you don't cooperate then it's your child's life that is at stake." Emma said.

Regina shuddered at the sound of Emma's words. Her child. Emma was referring to Henry but Regina was so nervous that she didn't realize she was paralyzed for a few seconds until she realized that Henry may not have understood. Perhaps Henry had not paid attention. She was so afraid that Henry would stay mad at her for being pregnant.

"Ok, since you decided to calm down I think we can call Mr. Gold and have a conversation on how to stop Cora." Emma said, leaving the room to call Mr. Gold.

Cora knew it could only have been Rumple's idea. She went to his shop to confront him and force him to remove the spell that was surrounding the hospital.

"My, my... How long it's been, dear Rumple" Cora said angrily.

"Hello, Cora!" Mr. Gold said. "Look, I didn't realize you were here in town, when did you arrived?" Gold said ironic.

"Don't give me that Rumple, you know very well that I was here or have you created a protective barrier on the hospital for nothing?" Cora said.

"Oh dear, about that ... that's why you come to me?" Rumple said with a sarcastic tone.

"I want you to undo it because my daughter is there, and I want it now!" Cora yelled.

"I don't think so, Cora."

"Rumple, don't mess with me, you don't know what I'm capable of. You think I don't know? You have a weakness now and if you don't help me I'm going after her."

"Look, honey, this is exactly why I created the spell of protection"

"Rumple, I'm serious, Belle will pay for that mistake!"

Rumple flinched when he heard the name of his beloved Belle. She is his weakness, and at that moment he was sure to have done the right thing, he couldn't take the risk of letting Cora get her hands on Belle.

"While they are in there you can't touch them, you know, I was your teacher, remember?"

"Of course I remember but I also know that this spell will not last long and you can be sure that I'll be outside waiting for just the right moment in which that barrier will not resist my power and your precious Belle will pay dearly for this!" Cora threated and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Mr. Gold was angry with her. He is very powerful and he knows that Cora is too. The difference between them is that Cora has no weakness but he has. He would need help from Regina and together they would have to teach Emma, the saviour, because she was the only one who could really beat Cora.

Mr. Gold was removed from his thoughts by cell phone ringing. It was Emma who called to warn about Cora. They agreed to meet with Regina in the hospital and talk about what they would do with Cora.

Regina had asked to keep her pregnancy a secret. She didn't want anyone to know.

Emma, Mr. Gold and Regina entered the room and asked all of them to leave so they could talk privately. Initially, Snow and David were reluctant to leave Emma alone with Regina and Rumple but Emma came up with the story that she was already grown and was an adult and now she had another excuse: I have magic, don't worry! That was annoying but they were beginning to think that could be a good thing, she would not be so helpless.

"How have you been, my darling?" Mr. Gold said when he saw Regina, the ironic tone dripped through the air.

"I was better before" Regina said angrily.

"Ok, I'm not very interested in your fight right now because there is a crazy woman who wants to kill my son. Maybe you'd like to consider leaving this stupid little fight and discuss what we do with Cora!" Emma said irritably.

They looked a little annoyed at her. How dare she talk to them that way, who did she think she was? But they also knew that she was right, they would have to leave their differences aside, both for Henry and for Belle.

"Okay, Miss Swan, what do you suggest then?" Regina said wearily.

"I don't know, I just found out I can use magic, how do you think I'll know what to do with Cora?" Emma replied.

"We need a plan, Cora is very smart and powerful, not as much as I do, but-"

"For God's sake Gold, she is much more powerful than you and you know that she doesn't play with magic" Regina interrupted him angrily.

"No, she is not more powerful than me! But as I was saying... The three of us have a weakness and she knows it. We need to protect them. For now the spell of protection that is on the hospital is holding but will not last long and she knows it. Emma, we'll need your help because only we can defeat her. She is very smart and only uniting our magic is how we can stop it. For that you have to be in good shape, Regina, and that is not what seems to be happening" Gold said.

Regina felt exposed and afraid that he knew of her pregnancy. That wouldn't be good. She was also thinking about what Henry would think if she came back to use magic, but she had to do it for him.

"So you will not tell me what happened? Why are you hospitalized, Regina?" Mr. Gold asked curiously.

Seeing the anxiousness of Regina, Emma decided to stop Gold's questioning.

"I think that's not the case now, Gold! So what do we do?" Emma said as she received a Regina's grateful look.

"We need to teach you how to use and develop your magic. That takes time, Miss Swan, so we have to find a way to hold her somewhere that she can't use magic, while you prepare yourself. When ready, the three of us must kill her!" Gold said.

So far Emma and Regina were astonished, Cora was cruel and they knew it but Mr. Gold didn't even blink when he spoke of killing Cora, they saw how much Mr. Gold was cold, even though they already knew that.

"Okay!" Regina said taking a while to accept the proposal.

"We just need to find a place to hold her" Gold said thoughtfully.

"That's it!" Emma jumped from her pensive moment "The cell that dwarves are building with fairy dust, that will stop her powers, will it not?"

Regina and Gold were surprised how Emma thought about it so fast.

"How do you know that?" Gold asked curiously.

Emma was a little embarrassed but she had to answer.

"Well, I know it worked with Regina once because my parents have told me" Regina looked lost now but Emma continued "And... and we were already building one for Regina, but... I think she no longer needs it" Emma said with a small smile to Regina.

Regina couldn't believe what she heard, she was trying to change and they were building a cage for her?

"What? I don't believe you were planning to arrest me in that cell. After what I did for you? I was trying to change? You are unbelievable!" Regina was screaming and looking angry.

"That is just perfect! That is exactly what we need!" Gold said full of expectation.

"She's not stupid Gold, how do you think we can lock her there?" Said Regina momentarily forgetting the anger she was feeling all of the city.

"With magic! Magic isn't enough to kill her because Emma still can't do it, but enough magic to immobilize her and send her to the cell, that, honey, we can do!" Gold said with an authoritative smile.

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**Let me know what are you thinking about my story and if you're enjoying!**

**In the next chapter you will see Regina, Emma and Mr. Gold fighting against Cora and I promisse that it will be a chapter too long.**

**Please, leave me Reviews! and sugestions...**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Confrontation

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay but this is my biggest chapter until now! I particularly loved it and I think this chapter is my favorite so far!**

**To Hannah Holloway; thank you for always has been reviewing me! I love your comments and opinions! I have some ideias about Henry and Regina's baby...**

**To Ailec-12; haha Thank you! The small fights between Regina and Rumple are always funny! I like it too!**

**To WestWingFeminista; Hey, are you brazilian? I'm glad you liked my story and thanx for send me your review! I appreciate it!**

**To Annie; THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**To everybody; Thanks for read my story, for follow me and favorite it! You're amazing guys! Thank you for all support and feedback!**

**Enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER 6 – THE CONFRONTATION

A week and a half later, Regina was still in the hospital. Now she, Emma and Mr. Gold spend half of the days devising their plan against Cora. They had the help of the Blue Fairy and the dwarves finished building the cell where she would stay until Emma achieved the necessary power to finally defeat Cora.

Regina hasn't told Henry about her pregnancy yet, thus the only who knew were Archie, Emma, Snow, Charming and Dr. Whale. Granny had noticed something different in Regina but she thought that it was impossible, and then she forgot about it.

Regina was worried because she had doubt that amount of magic would not hurt her baby. She was two months pregnant now. She knew she was powerful but a baby is so fragile and she couldn't share her concerns with anyone. Henry was her biggest concern and for him, Regina would do anything, no matter the price.

Everybody was in alert. In recent days, Mr. Gold and Regina realized that the protection spell was getting weaker and wouldn't last more than a few days. They need to run with their plans and make it work.

The cell was ready. It was in the abandoned mine which was a great advantage because it was full of fairy dust. It prevented dark magic and the only one who could enter in that cell, without losing her powers, was Emma. Regina and Mr. Gold were powerless inside the mine.

Two more days had passed and it was just a matter of hours until the protection spell disappeared completely. Emma, Mary Margaret and David were very nervous. Regina was too but she was more afraid for her son's life. It's time to putting their plan in action. Everyone knew it and was prepared, or so they thought. Nothing could fail, nothing could go wrong because their plan had been meticulously calculated. Every step, every option, everything was thought through.

Regina disappeared in a cloud of magic and appeared next to the mine. She knew that it was only a matter of minutes until her mother appeared. She was afraid that Cora would notice her pregnancy but she still acted as nothing was different.

As planned, Cora appeared a few minutes later. Regina still seemed surprised, even though she knew it was Cora who was there.

"You? I thought we stopped you, how did you get through?" Said Regina scared.

"Determination" Cora said approaching Regina "I had to see you, I need to tell you that I know why you sent me through the looking glass and I know why you tried to have me killed and it's... it's all alright" Cora said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, I think it's not alright"

"I love you... I just, I've always shown it in all the wrong ways"

Regina felt like a child again. She looked into the eyes of her mother and saw that Cora loved her, but she had done so much to hurt her that it seemed so hard to go back. Regina really fears and hates Cora, but she is just a girl who wanted to be comforted in her mother's lap.

"And I never should have made you marry the King"

There were tears streaming down Regina's face now. She closed her eyes and lowered her head trying to think of what to do next. Mr. Gold and Emma, who were watching the scene from afar, didn't understand what Regina was doing. They didn't understand what they were talking but it couldn't be a good thing because Regina didn't look angry anymore. Cora could take advantage of this moment.

"I'm so sorry. When you cried over my coffin..." Cora took a slight breath "It all changed".

"You framed me... for the Cricket" Regina said.

"Temporarily... so you could see what these people really think of you."

"You made an airtight case, anyone would have believed it."

"I didn't want you to reject me. Not again" Cora said with tears.

"You want me broken" Regina said disappointed.

"Receptive."

Regina couldn't believe what she was hearing. This woman, who should be her mother, was manipulative. She thought of everything and she made every situation favorable of herself no matter the price and no matter how many people would suffer because of that.

Mr. Gold and Emma were determined to intervene as quickly as possible. The plan wasn't going as planned and it seemed like Cora was deceiving Regina.

"You're the most manipulative of-" _all bitches in the world_. It was what she wanted to say but she controlled herself. She remembered what she had come to do and would do it. No matter what her mother said, she never will regret it.

"No, I won't even listen to you. Come with me, we're going to the mine!"

"What are we going to do there?"

"We are going to get something I need and then you will come with me to the town and tell them everything you know."

"And then you'll let us start over?"

"I don't see that happening mother but I'm… I was trying so hard to be worthy of Henry and I deserve the same thing from you" Regina said with tears in her eyes.

"You're right. For you, sweetheart, anything."

Mr. Gold and Emma finally saw when Cora walked with Regina toward the mine. Mr. Gold was waiting attentively the moment when Regina will cast the first flame of magic against her mother. Cora is very powerful and probably will not be stopped by this spell but then Mr. Gold would enter with another blast of magic and would paralyze Cora. Finally, Emma would transport Cora to the cell inside the mine with magic. She'll use a spell that seemed simple but actually is very complicated. First because Emma didn't believe that she could do magic by herself and second because Emma hadn't learned enough.

Mr. Gold knew it would be harder than Regina and Emma really thought. Cora easily could feel her power decrease as she approached the mine and unless she was very focused on Regina, she would realize that it had all been a conspiracy and then the things would be more complicated than they were expecting.

Regina could feel her magic weaken as she neared the entrance of the mine, it was not good. She was nervous and afraid that her mother discovered their plan to arrest her. She would be furious and wouldn't hesitate to hurt Regina or whom she loves the most, Henry. What if Cora noticed the bulge of Regina's belly? What if she found out that she was pregnant? She would do everything to get Regina to abort the baby because, after all, to Cora a baby means love and love is weakness.

When Cora and Regina arrived at the entrance of the mine, Regina was afraid she wouldn't be able to cast her spell on Cora. She looked to Cora again and her eyes were so full of love and regret. _What if she was truly trying to change? What if she was really sorry?_ No, she couldn't deal with it now. She couldn't risk her precious son's life, her children's lives.

"You know what, mother? Once you taught me something that I never forgot. Love is weakness and I spent a large part of my life believing you but now with Henry, I realized that you were wrong. I know that love is strength. Henry gave me strength to change and I'm getting better because I love him so much. Love isn't weakness mother. I'm so sorry that you don't realize it." Regina said it and then she cast a spell on Cora who was frozen in her place.

Cora glared at Regina. _How could she do this? She would pay dearly for it._

Cora took a few seconds to break the spell. She was faster than they were expecting. Regina began to feel that her magic was weak, while Cora's seemed to be intact. Cora was furious.

Mr. Gold appeared and cast another spell against Cora but she managed to divert it. She looked at Regina, who was pale and frightened, she could feel the hatred coursing through her veins along with the magic.

"Ungrateful daughter. You never could handle me Regina and you will never be able to!" Cora said fiercely as she prepared to launch a flame of magic against Regina.

Cora wasn't expecting what she saw. At the moment Cora reached out her hand to cast the spell on Regina, she wrapped her hands around her belly instinctively to protect her child. Then Cora noticed the bulge of Regina's belly. Yes, she was pregnant, her daughter was pregnant. A dark smile appeared on her face when she saw that her daughter took her hands off the belly quickly in an attempt to hide what Cora had already noticed.

"Oh my, Regina. Don't tell me that the Evil Queen is pregnant. Foolish Girl" Regina didn't believe what she heard. Her mother found out and now she was unsure of what to do. The fear gripped her. "Love is weakness, Regina!"

Mr. Gold didn't know about Regina's pregnancy yet and was perplexed with what Cora had discovered. Regina was pregnant. She had been different lately, her magic was different and he didn't know what it was, but this? He definitely wasn't expecting it. Like Regina, Mr. Gold was speechless.

"No mother. Love isn't weakness!" Regina shouted. Now she no longer cared to hide her pregnancy anymore and rested her hands protectively on her belly. Emma, who was watching everything from afar, didn't know what to do. The plan wasn't running as planned and Mr. Gold wasn't attacking.

Then, with a flick of Cora's hands, Regina was flying and Emma watched in shock when Regina fell to the ground a few meters away from Cora and she was writhing in pain. She had to act.

Cora came toward Regina, who struggled to rise, ignoring the blurry vision, and raised her in the air to make them stand face to face.

"Stupid girl! How could you do that? Who was the madman who got you pregnant? A baby, Regina, seriously?" Cora yelled angrily at Regina.

"Stop mother, you're hurting me, please stop!" Regina said and now it was possible to see tears dripping freely down from Regina's cheeks.

"You will not have this child, Regina, you hear me?" Cora growled.

She continued squeezing Regina who was screaming and crying by the lack of air that her mother was giving her.

Emma ran to Mr. Gold who was watching the scene still immobile.

"Gold, what are you doing? You should be helping and you are standing here. Hell, you're blind? She's hurting Regina, please do something!" Emma yelled at him.

Like he was awakened from a trance, Mr. Gold looked at Emma and finally realized what was happening around him. He had been out of his mind since he discovered that Regina was pregnant. Then he acted.

"Emma, are you prepared? Listen, I will cast a spell on her and you'll transport yourself and Cora into the cell in the mine. You just have to focus on the place where you want to go, okay? Cora will be powerless inside there but you must be quick." Mr. Gold said quickly.

"Let's do that!" Emma said.

Mr. Gold approached Cora and took advantage that she was distracted with Regina and launched a new burst of magic against Cora. Luckily for him, Cora froze and he gave a warning glance to Emma as if telling her that now it was her turn.

Emma appeared alongside Cora and touched her on her shoulder as she concentrated on the lessons that she learned in recent days. She focused on the place where she wanted to go and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't believe what she saw. She and Cora were inside the cell. She quickly left the cell and some of the dwarves who were waiting for them locked the cell.

Cora leaned over and tried to use magic against them but was surprised when nothing happened. She couldn't feel her magic because something was blocking the magic flowing through her body. She was furious. Regina had tricked her, it was all part of a plan and they will pay dearly for it.

Mr. Gold was observing closely when Emma touched Cora and closed her eyes. He held his breath for a few seconds until the two women in front of him disappeared. When that happened he saw Regina falling carelessly on the floor and having difficulty trying to breathe. He walked up to her where she was writhing, crying, pressing her hands on her belly and trying to breath when Emma reappeared and ran towards them.

"Regina! Regina!" Emma yelled.

Still having trouble breathing and feeling weak, she didn't answer.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma said approaching and trying to lift her. Mr. Gold was just staring at her.

"Do something, Gold." Emma yelled. "Regina, can you stand up? Please answer me, are you okay?"

Regina didn't answer yet, she was still recovering. Emma helped Regina up who was leaning on her arms. Then Regina looked furiously to Mr. Gold.

"You just stared, why you didn't anything?" Regina shouted.

"She managed to dodge my magic, Regina." He said quietly.

"And why don't you try again? YOU'D LET HER KILL ME, YOU IDIOT."

"I thought we had a plan but you lied to me, you didn't say anything about your pregnancy" Mr. Gold said irritably.

"That's none of your business, it doesn't concern you and it would make no difference in our plan, why do you think I'd tell you?" Regina yelled.

"WOULD MAKE NO DIFFERENCE IN OUR PLAN? This changes everything, YOU STUPID! Your spell on Cora didn't last five seconds." He yelled.

"Okay, enough! She's stuck, we did it! Now Regina, come with me, I'm taking you back to the hospital." Emma said.

"I don't want to go to the hospital, I want to go to my home!" Regina said irritably.

"No, you are going to the hospital and you will let Dr. Whale examine you because you don't look fine, you're pale and you're pregnant!" Emma ordered and by the way she looked, Regina saw that she couldn't argue with her, because she was too weak for that.

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**What you think? let me know!**

**I have a surprise to you guys in the next chapter! There will be a big turnaround and I'm waiting for it a long time ago!**

**Do you has some idea what it is? Try guess!**

**Please, leave me Reviews! and sugestions...**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	7. Chapter 7 - What's wrong?

**Hey everybody! Here is my 7th chapter!**

**To Hannah Holloway; I think so! But I have some ideas for Cora... hahaha (evil laugh). I think Henry will be surprised (not only him, but I think I'll surprise you in this chapter, I want to) but happy. Unfortunatelly, you will not see that happening in this chapter yet. Hope you like. and Thank you for always reviewing me.**

**To Tiki; you're amazing! I loved your idea! but I think Cora still don't know that Archie is the father. Continue with me and you'll see what happen...**

**To Addicted1; thank you for always reviewing me! I appreciate every review that you leave me.**

**To ****Marina Masterson; Eu sei que você está lendo isso e quando terminar vai pensar "De novo! Que saco!" Mas eu preciso que você saiba que essa reviravolta era extremamente necessária para o que eu tenho planejado para o final da história. Lembra que falei que precisei mudar tudo desde o capítulo 7? É isso! Sem críticas por favor e me deixe um comentário super lindo e fofo, pela nossa amizade? Já não sei mais como implorar a você para me deixar um comentário. Acho que vou ter que te pagar né? Amiga ingrata!**

**To Annie; Thank you for ALWAYS help me! be correcting, revising, giving me your opinion or giving me some ideas! Thank you! You're amazing!**

**To everybody; Thanks for read my story, for follow me and favorite it! You're amazing guys! Thank you for all support and feedback!**

**As promissed, here is the overturn! I hope all of you enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER 7 – WHAT'S WRONG?

Everyone in the hospital was distressed and anxious. They didn't know what was happening because they were all locked up in the hospital due to a spell where no one could leave. Mr. Gold had cast this spell to protect Belle and so the others didn't interfere with their plan.

A magical smoke appeared in the hospital and suddenly Emma, Mr. Gold and Regina appeared. Regina was still leaning on Emma and they could notice the trail left by the tears on her cheeks. Everyone was concerned about what had happened. Did they succeed?

Belle ran to Mr. Gold and wrapped him in a hug followed by a "What happened?" Then, Henry, Archie, Mary and David ran to the two women, filling them with questions.

"What happened mom?" Henry asked.

"Regina, are you okay? Oh my, what happened?" Archie went to Regina and supported her in his arms.

"Emma, are you okay? What happened? Did you arrest Cora? She hurt you?" Snow asked desperately.

"I'm fine, we got it! We managed to lock her up. I just need Dr. Whale here to take a look at Regina, I don't think she's okay" Emma said looking worriedly to Regina who was resting absently in Archie's arms.

"Mom, what happened? Are you okay?" Henry asked worriedly wrapping his arms around Regina's waist and pulling her into a hug. Regina stopped for a moment to enjoy her son's hug when she suddenly remembered her belly and that Henry couldn't see it so she pushed him away gently.

"Henry, I'm fine. I just wasn't prepared to see my mother, that's all!" Regina said softly.

"No matter, you are still going to consult with Whale, I don't want to take any risks" Archie said seriously to Regina.

Regina was already beginning to feel uncomfortable with so many people ordering her. They think that just because she is pregnant, she doesn't have her own opinion. She was enjoying that Archie was worried about her, but it was clear that it was only because of the baby. Regina was sure about it.

"Okay, enough! I said I'm fine and I don't need anyone telling me what I have to do." Regina said irritably.

"I don't care what you think. You'll consult with Dr. Whale and it's done!" Archie said a little more seriously than before.

Henry was surprised. Archie was never like that and if anyone ever talked like that to Regina, for sure, she would answer but she didn't. She just agreed, even having been angry, she just agreed. Henry didn't understand why.

Regina and Archie entered Dr. Whale's consult room. Henry insisted to his mother to let him go with them, saying that he was old enough and he wanted to know what was happening with her. Regina obviously didn't allow him to enter.

Dr. Whale entered the room and after some test he decided to do an ultrasound to check the baby. Regina was eight weeks pregnant and it was a good time to see her baby. He would have done the ultrasound before but Regina was busy with the plans against Cora.

Then they began to hear their baby's heartbeat. It was fast and fickle but still was the most beautiful sound that the two had ever heard. Dr. Whale stared at the screen as if he noticed something wrong and it scared Regina more than she could imagine.

"What's happening? Is there something wrong?" Regina asked worried.

"What's happening Dr. Whale? Is our baby okay? Is there's something wrong with it?" Archie asked while he held Regina's hand tighter. The two hadn't noticed they were holding hands.

"No, everything is fine, actually, it's great! It's just that-"

"What?" Regina began to cry out.

"Can you hear the baby's heart?" Dr. Whale asked.

"Yes, there's something wrong with it?" Archie asked.

"No, you aren't paying attention. Listen, what's different in the heartbeat?" Said Dr. Whale.

Regina and Archie had focused for a moment trying to find something that would indicate that something was wrong or different but they didn't know what to say.

"It isn't regular and beats much faster than I could imagine. Indeed, it seems that there is a strong beat and then one very low" Regina said thoughtfully.

"Look at the screen, what do you see?" Dr. Whale indicated.

"What is it? Looks like tw-" Archie said as Regina struggled to understand something of what she was seeing on the screen. "Oh My God!" Archie yelled.

"What? What's wrong Archie?" Regina asked almost crying. Archie couldn't answer and he had tears in his eyes. Regina was getting incredibly worried. What if her magic had harmed her baby? What if her mother hurt her baby? What if the baby got sick because of her? A thousand thoughts went through her mind while she waited for a response. "Oh for God's sake, can someone tell me what is happening with my baby?" Regina yelled frustrated.

"Regina, we will not have one baby" Archie looked at her in tears and she felt her heart crumbling "but-" She started to speak but Dr. Whale was faster "You'll have two babies, Regina. Do you see here?" He said pointing at the two points at the screen.

Regina was paralyzed. She got up a little and whispered frighteningly "What?... Oh my God!" then she slumped on the bed and her head hit the pillow. They were wide-eyed. Archie was in tears and with a silly smile on his face. Regina was without expression in her face, she just was too surprised and she didn't expect this. How would she take care of two babies? She barely got used to the idea of having one and now there were two?

Dr. Whale was watching them while they seemed lost in their own thoughts, then decided to get their attention again.

"So, you heard one baby's heart, now let's hear the other." Dr. Whale said repositioning the equipment on Regina's belly. They heard the two hearts beating, the heart rate was a little different but everything was normal.

Regina finally was able to understand why her belly was much higher than normal. She was only eight weeks pregnant and already was difficult to hide the bulge in her belly.

Archie was so happy. He was happy when he heard that he would be the father of one baby, of Regina's baby. He has imagined holding the baby in his arms, listening to the baby call him 'Daddy' for the first time and many other things. He came to think of what would be the color of the baby's eyes. But now? He would have TWO BABIES. Archie couldn't be happier with this idea. He was a lucky guy because he would be the father of twins.

The sound of the babies' heartbeats somehow calmed Regina. It had the power to calm her, reassure her and keep her attention.

Dr. Whale cleared Regina's belly and decided to give some time for them to have a conversation because they would need one. When he left the exam room, he was greeted by Emma and Henry who were very curious and concerned. He said everything was fine and when Henry pulled away a little, Emma asked him about the baby. Dr. Whale replied with a laugh that the baby was fine.

In the room, Regina and Archie were still holding hands and neither had the courage to speak first. Regina was without words and Archie was so happy that he couldn't talk about anything. Regina was the first to come back. She cleared her throat.

"Uhh... so?" Regina stammered.

"So?" Archie asked, focusing Regina's eyes for the first time.

"You... you are upset?" Regina whispered.

"What? No Regina, it's just... it's... oh my, it's wonderful! We are going to have two babies, I'm so happy!" Archie said quickly with a smile that barely fit on his face.

Regina breathed relieved.

"Two babies..." Regina repeated experiencing a sensation of these words in her mouth.

She was so scared. She just wanted go to home, hide herself from everyone and be alone. Regina needed to think about the events of the day. She tricked her mother, she found out that she was going to have twins, her mother threatened her baby and it all happened in only one day. She had many things to think about but she was so tired. She didn't know if it was because of the last days or if it was already symptoms of her pregnancy. She just wanted to lay her head on her pillow and get some sleep. Forget about everything and get some sleep.

She tricked her mother.

"Archie... I want to go home!" Regina said quietly.

"Okay, I will... I'll take you and stay with you if you want." Archie said.

"No!" Regina replied quickly but realizing the sad face that Archie had, she continued "I just want to go to sleep, I'm so tired and... you don't need to worry."

"Regina, you're carrying my babies and I'll not leave you alone in that big house. What if something happened to you or the babies?" Archie said seriously.

"Nothing will happen. Tomorrow we can talk. I... I can go to your office, if you want me to" Regina offered.

"But what if someth-"

"I promise, I will call you, okay? Now, I really need to go... I don't want to stay in this hospital anymore." Regina said getting up and leaving the room.

Henry ran to hug his mother as she left the room.

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asked worried.

"Yes Henry, I... I'm fine" Regina said looking at Emma, Mary, David and Archie who was leaving the room, as if asking them to not say anything to Henry. "I just want to go home. I'm a bit tired and I nee-"

"I'm coming with you!" Henry said quickly. He looked at Emma with pleading eyes and Regina was happy that he still wanted to go home with her.

"I... I would love it, Henry" Regina said trying to hold back the tears from falling. "But you have to ask Emma if-"

"It's okay Regina, I'll pick him up tomorrow morning to go to school." Emma said smiling.

"I..." Regina wished he could stay all day with her but she knew he couldn't, then she said "I can take him to school tomorrow... If you allow it!"

Emma looked for a minute to Henry, he was happy, she could see it in his face. Henry missed Regina and Emma remembered when she found Henry sleeping in Regina's arms at the hospital, they were calm and happy. Emma knew that Regina would never hurt him and she wouldn't let anyone do that.

"All right, I'll catch you at school, kid" Emma smiled.

Henry, Archie and Regina walked toward the exit of the hospital with Emma, Snow and Charming behind them, watching. Once they were out of the hospital, Archie saw Pongo running toward them. Everyone was surprised when Pongo ran toward Regina and jumped on her, barking, wagging his tail and licking her hand. Regina smiled at that.

Pongo was a fun dog and very affectionate too. Regina had also missed it. She spent many therapy sessions playing with the dog and sometimes she bought some meat for the dog and gave it to Pongo when Archie wasn't looking.

"Hey, Pongo." Regina said smiling as she passed her hand on the dog's head. "I missed you boy." Regina said and then she leaned down to talk to the dog.

Everyone was watching the scene speechless. When could they have imagined that she liked animals? Even more dogs. Archie wasn't so surprised because Pongo always did that with Regina. The dog loved Archie but it was crazy for Regina. Archie didn't know what she had done for the dog to be like that with her. The dog was very fond of Henry and Ruby too but Regina was the preferred.

Archie, Regina, Henry and Pongo were walking to Regina's house. Regina was happy that Henry wanted to spend the night with her and Archie was happy because Regina was getting a new chance. A new chance to start again and he was part of it.

When they arrived at Regina's mansion, she invited Archie to enter for a drink or to eat something but he refused. He could see in Regina's eyes that she was exhausted. He didn't want to bother her anymore. Henry hugged Archie before climbing the stairs running.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Archie asked looking at Regina.

"Yes, I guess so." she smiled.

Archie was already turning to leave when he returned and asked quietly "When will we tell Henry, you know..." Archie said embarrassed.

"I don't know Archie, I just... let's wait a little longer okay?" Regina said looking into his eyes.

"Okay, Goodnight Regina, until tomorrow!" Archie said smiling turning toward the gate.

"Goodnight, Archie." Regina smiled and closed the door.

Regina climbed the stairs and made her way to Henry's room. She opened the door and found Henry lying in the bed and staring at her.

"You're not hungry, Henry? I can make something to eat if you want." Regina said.

"No mom, I'm not hungry, thank you!" Henry replied.

Regina approached him and kissed his forehead. She put the blanket around him as she always did and prepared to leave his room. When she was closing the door, he called her.

"Mom?"

"Yes"

"Can you stay here with me? Just until I fall asleep." Henry asked.

Regina felt her heart sink and struggled to hold back her tears. "Of course, sweetheart."

She sat on his bed and he wrapped his blanket around her. She was feeling sorely lacking when Henry called her "Mom" and when he needed her, like now. She laid beside him, watching him closing and opening his sleepy eyes. Then, she found herself wondering what Henry would think when he knew that he would have two siblings. TWO SIBLINGS. She was lost in thought for a few minutes and when she realized, Henry was already asleep.

Then she made her way to her room. She prepared to take a relaxing bath, she needed it. She was already drying herself when she passed in front of the mirror. She had the impression that she didn't give a good look at herself in the mirror for a long time and she was right. Only then she let her eyes repair the changes in her body. It was remarkable. How didn't she realize it? Her breasts were larger and very sensitive. In recent weeks, she could barely hold food in her stomach because the sickness was constant and she was tired all the time. She thought that these symptoms were the result of the large amount of black magic that she consumed at the well, but she was wrong.

She dressed and made her way to the kitchen, even tired, she was hungry and wondered if this was already reflection of her pregnancy. After eating, more than she eats normally, she returned to her room and laid down. She spent a few minutes stroking the slight bulge in her belly and wondering how it would be having two children. It was a strange sensation but she was happy. With these thoughts in her head, she finally slept.

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**What you thought? I need to say. I needed to put twins in this story because I have a idea to the end and it will be all the difference!**

**In the next you will see a little interation between Regina and Emma and I love it! not in a romantic way but something like friendship.**

**Please, leave me reviews and sugestions...**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	8. Chapter 8 - A Cold Night

**Hey, here is my 8th chapter!**

**To JolieKaery; Haha I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for reading. 2 girls? I'll think in your case haha! Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**To Ailec-12; Thank you. I think I surprised you, I surprised everyone haha.**

**To Hannah Holloway; Archie is just going to be crazy because of this pregnancy. I don't know if he can survive until the babies come... haha I'm happy you liked and thank you for always review me, I love every single review that you leave me!**

**To Guest; I fixed it, you was right!**

**To Marina Masterson; THANK YOU. I have a question. it hurts? leave me that reviews hurt you? No! Let me know if you like this chapter ok?**

**To Addicted1; I'm glad you loved it! I love Archie! hahaha**

**To Ana Paula; thank you for reading it... love u! You know that, do you?**

**To singingtree54; Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter... leave me know what you think!**

**To Annie; Thank you!**

**Enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER 8 – COLD NIGHT

Three weeks later, things were getting better. Regina hadn't yet told Henry about her pregnancy although it was almost impossible to hide her belly now. She hid under thick clothes but everyone was already commenting.

She had a voracious appetite. She didn't feel so tired as before but felt a lot of discomfort due to the pregnancy. Archie was helping her. He even gave her a recipe of ginger tea that really helped her with the nausea and she was extremely grateful to him.

Archie spent the last few weeks insisting that she should tell Henry about the babies. He knew that Henry was a smart kid and if he didn't already know, he would find out sooner or later about the pregnancy of his mother. Regina was approaching the third month of pregnancy and everything was running fine. They wanted to share it with Henry but Regina was afraid that he would be angry. She was so grateful because the Charming's kept their word about not saying anything to Henry, but still, it was not easy for Archie to convince Regina that they should tell Henry about the babies as soon as possible.

She had returned to be the mayor of the city. As much as Regina had been a bitch, she always was an excellent administrator and even with the curse, she always took care of the city. For some time Snow tried to adapt herself and do the same things that Regina did but this work was so boring and annoying. Then, it was decided that they could give her a new chance and if she wanted, she could be the mayor again. She accepted quickly because she couldn't stand staying at home with nothing to do.

Regina was stressed with Archie because he was too concerned with the babies and spent the entire day calling or texting her. Regina tried for too long to not be upset by this, but Archie was treating her like a child. She couldn't stand it anymore.

"Hey!" Archie said entering in Regina's office. It was lunchtime. Regina hadn't hired a new secretary yet, so she spent all day alone.

"Hey" Regina replied smiling.

"I know you said you didn't want to have lunch with me but you need to eat." He said while putting a food package that he brought on the table.

"Thank you!" Regina looked quickly to Archie and returned her attention to the documents she was working on.

Trying to attract her attention again, Archie said "Did you know that our babies are the size of a plum now?"

Regina only looked at him for a moment and then returned to what she was doing.

Archie was starting to get nervous. It had been a few days since Regina had quarreled with him because she thought he was acting like a maniac, stalker and overprotective but he couldn't stop worrying.

"Ask me how I know that?" Archie said anxiously and a little nervous at the same time.

"What?" Regina asked confused.

"That our babies are the size of plums."

"Archie, I-" Regina was getting angry but she knew that Archie was just concerned. Then she took a deep breath and tried to be friendlier "How did you know that?"

"There's an app for that. I downloaded this morning. It gives all kinds of information about the babies, what to expect. In two weeks, they'll be the size of avocados." Archie said excitedly.

"Oh, cool!" Regina tried to be cool but she was sick of it, and said "I'm busy, Archie!"

"I know, you spend the whole day at City Hall and shouldn't" Archie said and whispered "The plums need you to rest" he said with a loving smiling on his lips.

"Okay, Archie, now go... I need to finish this!"

Archie was having lunch at Granny's. He met Henry and Emma who were also having lunch there. Henry was so happy to be able to have Archie always around because he was like a father to him. After a long conversation, Henry went to school and Emma was alone with Archie.

Archie reached down in his chair as if he were tired. Emma laughed a little because she knew that the reason for this discouragement was Regina.

"So, how are you? The guy with the mighty Olympic spermatozoon" Emma joked smiling at him. Archie ended up telling Emma about the twins. He was very happy and if not for Regina, the whole town would already know.

"I'd be better if I saw more of the mother of my children. She is hiding in work and paperwork." Archie said upset.

"Sometimes, work is the best way to fill your head."

"When something is bad!" Archie said "But this? This is a good thing... I mean-"

"Archie, one year ago her son was calling another woman 'mom' and now she lives in a place where everyone remembers her as the Evil Queen. She has a maniacal mother who is in town and tried to kill her and now she is going to have another two children. A normal woman would be scared, imagine Regina." Emma said wincing just thinking about Regina's situation.

"I know!" Archie said looking at the floor.

"She'll get over it." Emma was quick to respond "There is a reason they give us nine months." Emma said with a look that said 'you know'.

These last few days were very difficult for Regina. She was tired, physically and especially emotionally. She missed her mother even though she was a terrible woman. She missed Henry and somehow she wished that Archie was present during her pregnancy, even if she didn't admit it out loud. Sometimes, she leaves in the dawn for a walk around the city to breathe a little because there would be nobody to look at her or criticize her. It was comforting.

It was a very cold night. Emma was walking and thinking about the things that were happening lately. Regina was teaching her how to use magic. It was difficult to make her magic work but surprisingly Regina was being very patient with her. Maybe it was the pregnancy or maybe she was really changing. Something inside her said it was the second option.

Emma walked over the town bridge and saw someone leaning against the bars of the bridge, looking away. She walked over and realized it was Regina. She hadn't noticed Emma's presence yet. Emma watched her for a few minutes. It was very cold. _What is she doing here alone at this hour?_ She could see that once in a while Regina passed her hands on her own face as if she was wiping her tears.

"Emma!" Regina said when she realized that Emma was approaching. "What are you doing here?" She asked moving uncomfortably in her place.

"I'm just... I was just walking a bit to cool off." Emma replied trying to hide her sadness, but failed.

"Yes, it's good to chill once in a while" Regina smiled sincerely giving a relieved breath.

"You seem exhausted, Regina. Archie told me that you're working hard and you should rest, it's best for the babies." Emma said regretting what she had said as soon as she finished talking. Regina hadn't told anyone about the babies and Archie talked only to her.

Regina gave a startled look at her but then she said "I bet he didn't tell you only that, did he?" Regina said turning her gaze back to the river.

After a while Emma said "I don't know what I'm doing, some time ago I was just a normal person, now I have a son, I live in a town where fairy tales are real and I'm part of them and now I'm learning to use magic. I know that it's good magic but this magic will kill a person" Emma said with tears in her eyes, seeming confused. Regina stood there, looking at Emma who had just vented to her. Then Emma asked "If you kill someone, how do you fix it?"

Regina knew very well about who Emma was speaking about, Cora. As much as she still loved her, she knew she couldn't risk her children's life.

"Making amends is essential." Said Regina thoughtfully, in a lower tone of voice and earnest "but sometimes, if the other person is gone or they refuse to forgive us, we practice the amends while we are still living." Regina said starting crying. _Damn hormones_, she thought.

"And how do you do that?" Emma asked seriously.

"Well, have the best life you can, do the right thing, help when you can, be available, try to save lives" Regina sighed. "You can't change what you have done but you can change who you are or at least you can try." Regina chuckled insecurely "It's hard to explain how living this way works" Regina stops, thinks, breathes and continues, "but it works. Somehow this... sets you free."

Emma was surprised by the sudden urge to hug Regina. Their relationship had improved greatly. Regina was still looking away when Emma came over and hugged her. Regina was surprised. Nobody wants to hug the Evil Queen and now, the "Savior" was hugging her.

"Thank you!" Emma whispered tearfully still hugging Regina who was speechless.

After some time this way, Emma pulled Regina away a little and asked "Why haven't you told Henry about the babies?" Emma said quietly.

Regina looked at her and dropped a tear. She wanted so badly someone to trust. She knew she could count on Archie but she really wanted a friend and now Emma was there acting this role, maybe she could trust her a bit, at least for today.

"I'm afraid of- uh... him thinking that I cast a spell on Archie or something like that."

"Seriously?" Emma asked giving a wry look to Regina. "He'll be so happy and I'm so sure about it that I don't know why but he'll be bragging to everyone that he will be the big brother of twins." Emma said laughing.

Regina laughed, Emma had a very different way of making people laugh. "Do you think?" Regina asked looking at Emma's eyes, searching for a liar look but all she got was a wink.

"For God's sake, Regina. Sometimes you're the dumbest person that I know, I mean... Henry will love it and you're thinking he'll criticize you. He loves you, Regina" said Emma.

"Thank you, Emma" Regina said smiling a little.

"Now, let's go. I think that we have had plenty of fresh air for today." Emma said smiling at her "I'll take you home."

They walked in silence to Regina's house and then Emma went home.

Two more days had passed and Regina was still trying to avoid Archie. He was stalking her. She always had to be home too early because if she wasn't, she had to hear all that Archie knew about mothers' and babies' health.

He was on his way to buy something at Granny's to Regina eat when he found Henry walking alone on the street.

"Hey, Henry!"

"Hey Archie" The boy said with a smile on his face as he ran to hug him.

"Shouldn't you be at home or with Regina now?"

"Yes, but I think that mom forgot me today" The boy said with a grin, "She said she would pick me up at school and she didn't show up, I waited over an hour for her and nothing. She didn't even answer the phone."

"Have you called home or City Hall?" Archie said, starting to get worried.

"Yep, but she just hasn't answered. She must have forgotten."

"Henry, I'll take you down to the station okay? I'll leave you with Emma and look for Regina."

Henry nodded. Archie took him to the police station and ran to Regina's house. He didn't find her there, he called and texted her, but she didn't answer. He passed the City Hall and the lights were all off. He was starting to get worried.

* * *

**First, sorry for my english, I know that it contains errors but please, forgive me!**

**Well, what you think? Did you liked?**

**In the next you'll see a sweet moment between Regina and Archie and Henry finding out about his siblings.**

**Hey, I already know their genders haha Sugestions?**

**Please, leave me reviews...**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	9. Chapter 9 - Two Siblings

**Hey, sorry for the delay to update it, but here, in Brazil, it's "carnival" and I was enjoying my little holidays...**

**So, here is my chapter 9!**

**To Ailec-12; Thank you for leave me your opnion, I will look for that! ;***

**To Hannah Holloway; "Sorry, I'm late *I'm using Regina's face*" I do the same thing! Thank you! I hope you like it.**

**To Annie; Thank you!**

**Enjoy it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 9 – TWO SIBLINGS

Archie called the mine and asked the guards if Cora was still locked up and if Regina had been there. They said everything was fine and Regina wasn't there that day. He was going crazy. Then he decided to enter City Hall to check inside. When he entered Regina's office, he saw her lying on one of the couches. She looked exhausted.

"Regina?" Archie said moving Regina to try to wake her but she didn't move. "Regina?" He spoke a little louder and stirring her with more strength.

"What? What is it?" Regina rose in a fright.

Archie took a breath of relief.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asks still sleepily.

"No! I'm the one that will ask questions in this situation" Archie said irritably.

Regina shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"The mother of my children doesn't go home?"

"You knew I was working, Archie." Regina said stretching herself.

"Yes, I knew you were, but you didn't pick Henry up at school and didn't answer my texts. Then I call every hour to see if you're alive. A few hours ago, you stopped returning my calls and I found Henry going home alone. Then, I took him to Emma and ran to find you" Archie blurted "Wondering if you were dead".

Regina got up from the couch and moaned when she stood up.

"What? What is it?" Archie asked scared while holding Regina.

"My feet. It's just these damned shoes. I'm fine, Archie"

"You're not fine" Archie said but Regina kept walking toward her desk, then Archie yelled "You're not fine, Regina. Do you realize that Cora almost killed you and almost killed our babies? Do you know that she's still alive?" He yelled at her, who was glaring at him. "And I'm supposed to protect you, I'm supposed to protect our children and that is my job! And I can't do it if you don't let me! If you're not fine, then I'm not either!" He finished talking and left the office angrily leaving Regina speechless.

She knew that Archie was new to this situation and because of that he was being so overprotective, but then she realized that she was not helping. She liked Archie so much but she wouldn't let him get close or call her every half hour. She was upset because he was worried the whole time, but at least he was worried about her, she thought.

She went home. She should apologize to Archie and she would have to fix it. She also had to tell Henry. She decided she would do it in the next day. She called Emma and asked to the blonde to let Henry have dinner with her and Archie because they would tell him the news. Then, she sent a text to Archie asking him to meet her at lunchtime on Granny's.

The next day, Archie was sitting in the restaurant with Pongo lying beside him. Regina arrived and went straight to talk to him. The situation between them was still kind of tense and Regina wanted to apologize for that.

"Hey!" Regina said with a soft smile. Even upset, Archie cannot help but notice how much more beautiful she looks pregnant.

"Hey"

"I was thinking... I think if you agree, we can talk to Henry tonight? About the babies?" She said low to avoid letting people hear them.

Archie can't hide the smile and the joy that filled his face. "Seriously? Today?"

"Only if you want to" Regina said insecurely.

"I want to!" Archie said quickly.

"I asked Emma to let Henry have dinner with us today, and I think that we should go get him from school together, what do you think?"

"For me, all right!"

"Ok" Regina nodded and a silence filled the space between them.

"So? What do you want to eat?" Archie asked.

"I don't want anything. Your children enjoy eating outside normal hours" She said looking upset.

Archie laughed. He knew that Regina didn't feel hungry during normal hours to eat, just during unusual hours. When she ate lunch or supper, she always vomited everything shortly afterwards. But he laughed, mainly because it was so nice for him to hear Regina referring to the babies as 'his babies'.

Regina looked at the clock and decided to go forward with the things at City Hall. After solving all she had to solve, Regina realized that there was still more than one hour until the end of Henry's class and Archie hadn't called her yet, which wasn't normal. Maybe it was time to acknowledge that she was wrong.

Archie was lying reading a magazine when the doorbell rang. He ran and opened the door and he saw Regina. She walked past him and sat on the couch. She didn't say a word, she just sat there. He closed the door and sat beside her, looking curious to her.

"I miss my mother." Regina said suddenly.

"I know..." Archie said confused.

"Everything is changing." She said taking a deep breath.

"I know" Archie said again, curious about the direction that this conversation was taking.

"I hired a new secretary today, to help me with the documents of the City Hall during this period."

"Really?" he looked uncomfortable.

"And in an effort to be..." Regina took of her coat that was always using to hide her belly and put it on the couch "a little less difficult, here is the deal:" she said looking at a curious Archie "I will let you talk to my belly ONCE a day" she said emphasizing the word once "okay?"

Archie was so happy. He quickly got up from the couch and knelt in front of her.

"Don't be weird" she said quickly.

"I won't"

"And don't massage or rub or kiss the belly" Regina said looking seriously at him.

"Okay" Archie said anxiously.

"And I swear by God if you sing, I-"

"Regina" he said calling her attention.

He took her hands that were placed in front of her belly and put them aside. She straightened her body even feeling awkward, leaving the bulging belly exposed. He lowered himself and approached her belly. He ran his hands by Regina's belly and then, placed them on her waist.

"Hi" Archie whispered thrilled "I can't wait to meet you guys. Your daddy will be there for you no matter what". Regina couldn't control the sudden urge to cry. She knew Archie would be a wonderful father. Damn hormones. "And know that you will always be loved" he finished and gave two kisses on Regina's belly.

"I said 'no kissing'" Regina said preventing the tears from falling and trying to put up her cold person mask.

Archie shrugged and then he rose from his position on the floor. They spent some time discussing how to tell the news to Henry and then they were getting him from the school.

* * *

"Hey!" Archie and Regina said when they saw Henry approaching.

"Hey mom, hey Archie, hey Pongo. What are you doing here?" Henry asked hugging his mother.

"I spoke to Emma and she is letting you have dinner with us at home. Archie and I have something to tell you" Regina said as they walked to the car.

"What?" Henry asked curious.

"Henry, first dinner and then we'll talk about it" Archie said.

"But it's a good thing?" Henry asked.

"It is Henry, it's excellent news!" Archie said looking at an insecure Regina.

Regina was preparing the dinner while Archie and Henry were playing with Pongo in the other room. Regina finished and called them to eat.

"Wow, Regina, it's delicious" Archie said as he ate.

"It's very good, Mom" Henry said with his mouth full.

"Thank you and Henry, please, don't talk with your mouth full." Regina rebuked.

"Sorry, mom" Henry said "Are you not eating?"

"No, Henry, I'm not hungry now, I'll eat later" Regina replied looking at Archie who smiled.

After dinner, Regina asked the two to wash the dishes because she had already made the dinner. After finishing the dishes, Henry was very curious to know what Archie and Regina had to tell him. Regina sat on the couch and Henry sat beside her. Archie stood up anxiously.

"Henry, we have to tell you something and... I don't know what you'll think, but I want to say I'm very happy with it and Archie too, so-" Regina began stammering.

"Come on mom, say it already!" Henry said agitated.

"I... I'm pregnant, Henry, and that means tha-"

"I'll have a little sibling?" Henry said as huge smiling.

Regina was happy to see the smile on the boy's face.

"Actually, Henry" Archie continued realizing that Regina had forgotten on little detail "You'll not have only one little sibling" he said looking at Regina.

"No?" Henry asked confused.

"No, I'm pregnant with twins, Henry, so you'll have two siblings" Regina smiled.

"Seriously?" Henry asked anxiously. The two adults nodded "This is fantastic, I'll have two siblings, TWO!" Henry jumped on the couch "So, are they girls or boys?" He asked curiously.

"We still don't know Henry, but in a few weeks Dr. Whale says that we will know" she said "Are you happy?"

"Of course! I'll get two siblings at once, how can I not be happy? I'll play with them and teach them..." Henry said agitated "I'll be able to hold them, right?"

"Of course you will Henry, but you'll need to be careful in the beginning because they will be small" Regina said with tears in her eyes.

"I'll be careful!" Henry said hugging Regina.

Just then, Henry realized Regina's belly, which in fact, was larger than normal.

"Mom?" Henry called.

"What?"

"Will they not have a daddy? Like me?" Henry asked curiously.

Archie and Regina were surprised by this. Regina was a little afraid to talk about it because that was what made her more nervous. She didn't want Henry to think that she cast a spell on Archie or something like that.

"No Henry, actually they will have a daddy, yes!" Regina said quietly looking at Archie.

"Who?" he asked confused.

"Henry, I'm their father. These babies are mine" Archie said carefully.

"What?" Henry widened his eyes and looked at Regina looking for an answer.

"Henry, I can explain th-" Regina started getting nervous.

"You'll be the father of my siblings? This is wonderful!" Henry shouted gleefully.

Archie and Regina weren't expecting for that reaction.

"Do you like that?" Archie asked.

"Yes, my siblings will have the best dad in the world. Will you come and live here, will you?"

Regina looked to Archie uncomfortably.

"No, Henry, Archie will not come to live here"

"Why not?"

"Because there are things we can't explain to you now, because you wouldn't understand, but soon, when you're older, I promise you that we will explain, okay?" Regina said.

"Okay!"

* * *

**So, I think that's it!**

**Please, leave me reviews... Let me know what you think!**

**Thank all of you for read until here!**

**xoxo, Bárbara**


	10. Chapter 10 - Visits

**Thousand apologies for the delay in updating this chapter. I made a mistake.**

**I thought I had sent this chapter to my beta reader before but just yesterday I realized that, in fact, it had never been sent and I have to thank her for the speed o****n fixing that.**

**To Ailec-12; Thank you! and about Henry. I have to make him a nice son here because I just want to kill him NOW! sorry...**

**To Guest; OMG! I love your review! Please, let me know your name... Thank you very much.**

**To ciaramontana1; Yep! I used a lot from that show and I loved it by the way. Thank you for reading my story.**

**To Hannah Holloway; Thank you... me too!**

**To Annie; I have to say. I love u! haha thank you!**

**Enjoy it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 10 – VISITS

"_Mother?" Regina said, recognizing the figure in the darkness._

"_Yes, my dear, it's me! I came to pick you up" Cora said gently._

"_What? Pick me up? Where are we going?" Regina asked confused._

"_I'll take you to see your children."_

"_But they are sleeping in the next room"_

"_No, Regina. They aren't sleeping in the next room. Try to remember. Many things happened lately."_

"_No, what are you talking about, mother?" she said getting up and going to Henry's room to check if he was there. Cora followed her._

"_You see? He isn't here."_

"_He should be in his sister's room, he always goes there at dawn when she's crying." Regina said running to her daughter's room and she found it empty._

"_Regina, don't you remember what happened?"_

"_What are you talking about mother? Where are my children, what have you done with them?"_

"_You were fighting. You became the Evil Queen and killed Archie. I thought that you wouldn't come back to be the Regina that I know. You would have killed your children, Regina."_

"_What?" Regina looked terrified "You're crazy! I would never hurt my children, never!" Regina cried at her._

"_But you did! You almost choked Henry and almost drowned your daughter in the bathtub, but it wasn't really you, Regina. Now you're fine."_

"_Mother, why are you doing this? Why are you lying to me?" Regina said starting to cry. "Where are my children?"_

"_I'm not lying, my love. Everything I have done was to protect you, even if you haven't noticed yet. I took them to protect them from you. After you killed Archie, I didn't have a choice. But now it's time to see them again. Let's go, come with me." Cora said extending her hand to Regina._

_Regina looked at her mother and saw that she was telling the truth, and then she remembered what had happened in the last months. She had returned to being the Evil Queen again. Regina held her mother's hand and together they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke._

_They reappeared in a place that looked like a hall of a large and beautiful castle. Cora led Regina to a room that was located on top of a tower. When they entered the room, Regina saw three coffins. The biggest one was white and the other two, much smaller, were white with gold trim and red._

"_What kind of joke is this, mother?" Regina asked turning to face Cora._

"_I'm so sorry, my daughter. I tried, I swear, but you were very powerful and I couldn't stop you." Cora said with tears in her eyes._

"_What?" Regina said blankly._

_She was shocked and gasping for air. She couldn't breathe, her vision was getting blurry, a sudden urge to vomit came over her, her mind was spinning and then her feet were no longer on the ground._

* * *

Regina opened her eyes frightened and screaming. She ran to the bathroom and vomited everything she had eaten hours ago. It wasn't the first nightmare that she had. In fact, since Cora was trapped, dreams like that were becoming frequent. What is more terrifying to Regina is that, in these nightmares, Cora was always protecting the children from the Evil Queen.

She knew she shouldn't go visit Cora in the cell, but her desire to see Cora was getting the best of her. Archie and Emma would never allow her to be there, but she had to do it. She got up from her position with her head in the toilet and cleaned herself up in the sink. She changed her clothes, put on a coat and walked to the mine. It was 3:42 in the morning.

She also knew that Cora was never alone in her cell and there was always at least one of the dwarves, who kept an eye on Cora. She had to convince him to let her go in there because Cora was forbidden to receive any visit without the consent of Emma or Mr. Gold.

When Regina stopped the car near the entrance to the mine, she could see two dwarves at the door.

"Regina, what are you doing here? It's almost 4 am!" Leroy asked.

"I just... I just wanted to see her" Regina replied.

"No way. No one can enter or leave without Emma's permission."

"She's my mother and I know her better than you. You think I don't know how dangerous she is? I'm not going to help her, I just want to talk to her. Learn why she did the things she did." Regina said irritably.

Leroy looked at Regina's eyes and saw the weakness that few people had ever seen in Regina.

"Okay. But you'll not get close to her and I'll have to tell Emma you were here."

"No! Please!" Leroy was surprised by Regina's words, the same woman that he knew would never ask 'please'. "I just want to talk to her and see her. Emma doesn't need to know this, she'll be worried about Henry but has no reason for that. And I'll not stay in there very long."

"Okay, but that's just today and I'm going with you."

Regina wanted to be alone with her mother, but she knew that would not happen. "Okay, thank you, Leroy."

So they walked up into the mine. It was dark and there were few lights inside. Regina couldn't feel her own magic, it's as if it had been left out of the mine. When she approached the cell, she could see the figure of her mother lying in the corner of the cell. She looked at Leroy, who decided to give them some privacy and distanced himself from the two women.

"Mother?" Regina called but Cora seemed not to hear. Regina had to call her twice more, so she began to stir.

"Regina?" Cora stood up and walked towards the bars of the cell.

"It's me, mother" Regina said with a sad look.

Cora was dirty and didn't look anything like the powerful woman that Regina knew. There wasn't glamour, no power, nothing. She was just a careless old lady.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you, I... I was wondering why you've done all these things, mother." Regina asked with tears.

"I... I wanted to see you, Regina. These days I spend here, I have had much time to think..." Cora said looking at the floor.

"And what conclusion did you come to?"

"I was an idiot, Regina. I know you don't believe me now, but if I could prove it to you-"

"You had the opportunity to prove it and you almost killed me!" Regina shouted.

"You attacked me first, Regina" Cora said sadly.

"But I would never kill you" Regina said crying.

"I know! Forgive me, Regina. I was stupid with you and with Daniel too. I didn't learn to love very well but I want to learn. I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry to say those things about you and your baby." Cora said staring Regina's eyes.

Distractedly, Regina ran her hands over her belly. She wanted so badly to trust her mother but she couldn't do that. Cora almost killed her and could have killed her babies. Cora didn't know they were twins and Regina wouldn't tell her that.

"So, what is it? A boy or a girl?" Cora asked Regina, genuinely curious.

"I don't know yet, mother." Regina said.

"Okay, you may end up catching a cold and it's not good, neither for you or for the baby." Cora said.

"Okay, bye mother." Regina said turning toward the mine entrance.

"Regina" Cora called her.

Regina just stopped in her place but did not look back.

"Please, come back again!" She said.

Regina just nodded and kept walking, hiding the tears that ran down her face. She returned home but couldn't get back to sleep. She ate a little, but soon the urge to vomit came again and she ran to the bathroom.

"This isn't good. We'll have to enter into an agreement" she said as passed her hand gently on the belly "You'll have to let mommy eat a little because I need to have some strength to carry you two" Regina said with a smile when the malaise passed. She lay back a little but she was still unable to sleep and wondered what her babies would be like, their gender and all that stuff about babies could distract her from her recent nightmares and make her forget, even momentarily, her encounter with Cora.

* * *

Henry woke up early and saw Emma, Snow and Charming talking at the kitchen. He had to break the news and couldn't wait longer for that.

"Hey, good morning!" Henry said humming happily.

"Good morning!" The three said together.

"What is it, Henry? Why are you doing this face?" Snow asked.

"He's been happy since yesterday, when he returned from Regina's home, but he will not tell me what it is" Emma said pouting.

"I didn't tell you yesterday because I wanted to tell it to all of you!"

"So, what is it?" Charming asked, already imagining that Regina must have told him that he would have a sibling.

"Well, yesterday my mom told me that she's pregnant!" Henry said with a huge smile.

"This is wonderful, you'll have a sibling, Henry" Snow said but not one of them seemed genuinely surprised.

"No, I will not!" Henry said.

"How is that?" Snow asked confused, looking at David. Emma already knew what it was. She would have to make it look like it was a surprise for her too, though Archie had already told her weeks ago.

"I will have two siblings, mom is pregnant with twins!" Henry yelled.

"What?" Snow and Charming looked surprised.

"That is fantastic, isn't it? I'll have TWO siblings, two!" He said making a 'two' with his fingers "And mom said that if I care, I'll be able to handle them when they are born." Henry said excitedly.

"That is really a surprise!" Emma tried to pretend but hasn't gone unnoticed by Snow.

"So, Regina is pregnant with twins?" Snow sighted "I didn't expect that" she laughed.

"But it's great news, soon we'll have two little monsters running around Storybrooke, can you already think of that?" Emma said laughing at the scene that passed in her mind. Two miniReginas. That would be fun.

After leaving Henry in the school, Emma went to the stables. It was her routine since Regina was teaching her how to use magic and since Regina didn't want any more unforeseen things happening in her home due to Emma's inexperience in magic.

"Good morning, Regina!" Emma said as she entered the stables to come across Regina who was already waiting for her.

"As always, you are late, Miss Swan" Regina rebuked her.

"Well, today I had a reason."

"And what is that reason that made me waste my precious time?"

"It was a little difficult to calm Henry today, he was restless and eager to meet his siblings, to know their gender and stuff… I almost couldn't open my mouth on the way to school because he was speaking all the time" she said rolling her eyes.

Regina was lost in Emma's words and remembered the Henry's happiness in the last day. "I'm so happy that he's happy…" Regina said absently.

"I told you, Regina. And it will only get worse" Emma said. "Besides, he must be telling it to all of his classmates. He might be bragging because he will have twin siblings."

Regina smiled and nodded "Let's start then?"

"What do I have to do today? Because you know, I have been training and I really think I have evolved very much" Emma said sincerely.

"I think you lack much, darling, and I want you far away from my apple tree." She said remembering when Emma unintentionally fired against Regina's apple tree.

"I told you Regina, it was an accident!"

"Okay, I'll teach you to focus your magic to deflect attacks."

"Cool!" she said excitedly.

"And dangerous if you don't pay attention"

"Come on, Regina. I'm the 'Saviour' and I did put Cora in that cell, I can very well do it" she said smugly.

"Take it easy, darling!"

After teaching Emma, Regina began releasing some flames of magic against Emma. At first, Emma had a bit of difficulty, but with time and training she was getting good at it and Regina had to admit it.

Emma was grateful that Regina was helping her. Not that she trusted totally in Regina, but she trusted more in the woman than in Mr. Gold. And, surprisingly, Regina was being so patient to help her and teach her that Emma almost could say that her mornings were the best moments of her days. She could witness the changes in Regina's body and especially the changes of temperament, which Regina was experiencing, were really fun for Emma.

Emma cannot help but smile when she remembered when Regina taught her how to launch fire on a target and she accidentally fired against Regina's apple tree. Regina quickly passed from a bossy woman to a crying woman because Emma had burned her favorite tree.

Thus, Regina and Emma were spending their mornings together since the event with Cora. Somehow, Regina learned to respect Emma and sometimes even laughed at some jokes that the blonde made. The two were learning to look out for the other. They could venture to think that a friendship would develop.

* * *

**So, what you think?**

**Review please. The more you review, the author is happier and she updates faster;)**

**xoxo,**

**Bárbara**


	11. Chapter 11 - Different Friend

**Hey guys, here is the chapter 11!**

**To Ailec-12; Do you really think you know their genders? Try! haha What you think they are? I'm curious if you are right... I loved Emma and Regina being friends... I wanna explore it!**

**To jcat30; Thank you for being reading my story! xo;)**

**To YellowBrickQueen; Hey my friend :) I miss you! Thank you for read it and I'll try keep secrets from you but it's difficult... I already told you the gender of one twin... haha**

**To KalliThag; Do you really think Cora is lying? You'll see, keep reading.**

**To Gotapenname; haha Yep! Henry is really sweet in my story haha I'm trying... But I think he'll get a little jealousy of Regina and the twins but in a good way.**

**To Annie; thank you for everything!**

**To Everybody; Thank all of you for reading/following and favorited my story. You're the best readers... haha**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 11 – DIFFERENT FRIEND

_"Mom?" Henry called when he heard the sound of a crying woman. "Mom, are you there? What's happening?" Henry asked worried but he got no answer._

_Henry pushed the door slowly and gasped at what he saw. Cora was dangerously close to Regina who was lying on the floor, crying. Henry didn't know what was happening but he was afraid._

_"Foolish Girl! I gave you everything. You would be a Queen and what are you now? Nothing!" Cora yelled._

_"Mother, please stop. You're hurting me." Regina said trying to get up off the floor._

_"Stop it! Get away from my mom, you witch!" Henry emerged from his position and start crying._

_"Look who is here, Regina" Cora said with a dark smile._

_"Henry, go away, run!" Regina tried to scream amidst the pain._

_"No! I'm not leaving!" Henry said._

_"Then you will watch this, boy!" Cora said when she put Regina in the air and began to choke her magically._

_"Stop! Please stop!" Henry started screaming through his tears when he saw Regina trying to breath._

_"Ouch!" Regina screamed, clutching her belly._

_Henry and Cora saw the blood running down Regina's leg and falling to the ground._

_"Mom?" Henry asked shocked._

_"Oh my god, there's something... something's wrong... it hurts... ouch!" Regina cried._

_"I told you, Regina, you'll not have this baby"_

_"Stop! You're hurting her, please stop! Stop!" Henry shouted with all his strength._

* * *

"Henry? Henry, wake up!" Emma said shaking the boy who was struggling and screaming in bed.

"Don't hurt her, please!" Henry said still crying and sleepy.

"Henry! It's just a nightmare, wake up" Emma tried again.

"What?" Henry jumped up scared, looking for something in the room.

"Henry..." Emma said comforting him "It's okay, it was just a nightmare"

"No, I want to go to my mom" Henry said crying.

"Henry, Regina is fine... it was just a nightmare, you want to tell me about it?" Emma asked worried.

"No!" Henry shouted "I want to see my mom"

"But Henry, it's still night and Regina must be sleeping" Emma tried.

"No! What if she is not fine? I want to talk to her" Henry cried.

Emma tried a few more times to tell the boy that it was just a nightmare and that Regina was fine, but she couldn't convince him.

"Look, Henry, I'll not take you there now because it's late and she must be sleeping, but we can call her. What do you think? See if she's fine. I promise you that if she isn't fine I'll take you there, okay?" Emma said picking up the phone and handing to Henry.

"Okay" The boy nodded while dialing the number he had decorated.

"Mom?" Henry said quietly when Regina answered her phone after a few minutes.

"Henry?" Regina asked sleepily still trying to recognize the voice in the middle of her sleep.

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asked worried.

"Henry, of course I'm fine" Just then Regina managed to focus on the clock next to the bed. 2:30 am. "Henry, what happened? Are you okay? Why are you awake at this hour, I swear if they let anything happen-" Regina started asking a lot of questions. The desperation starting to take care of her.

"No, mom. I'm fine, I just wanted to know if you were okay..."

"I'm fine, my love, what happened?" Regina said calming down.

"Nothing, nothing happened, I just wanted to talk to you" Henry said but Regina knew him better than anyone. She knew he was hiding something from her.

"It doesn't seem like nothing happened. You really don't want to tell me what happened?" She insisted.

"Nothing happened, mom, I promise."

"Okay, then you will go back to sleep because it is too early for my baby to be awake and you have school tomorrow morning."

"Okay"

"Okay, good night, my love"

"Good night, mom, I love you!"

"I love you too" She smiled and hung up.

Emma watched Henry's conversation on the phone from the door. She saw how quickly the boy calmed down. It hadn't been the first time that Henry had nightmares and since Cora was arrested he was losing many nights of sleep with nightmares. The problem was that for some reason Henry wasn't telling Emma about what the dreams were, but she knew that it was about Regina because the boy always woke up worried about her. His nightmares have become more frequent lately. Emma wondered if Regina had known about these dreams or if the boy had told her. She also hoped that they don't mean anything.

The next morning, Emma left Henry at the school and walked toward the stables as she did every morning. As always, Regina was already there. She was looking tired and seemed to not have slept well at night. Emma wondered if she should have woken her at dawn, because she spends all morning teaching Emma and the rest of the day at City Hall and sometimes she saw Regina and Archie having lunch together at Granny's.

Archie insisted that Regina shouldn't be alone at home and on several occasions he found himself wondering how it would be living with her, the mother of his babies. But the idea disappears as soon as he sees how independent she is and how lucky he was to have a night with that woman.

Henry and Archie were getting a little closer than before. They were spending so much time together because Regina was always in the City Hall, Emma was training and Mary and David were making plans and taking care of the police station along with Emma. Almost always, Archie took Henry from the school and took him to the City Hall so that the three could have lunch together. Generally, Regina never ate with them, but she loved spending time with them. She wanted to believe that it was only because of Henry, but it wasn't. After, Henry spent the afternoon in Archie's office, talking and joking when Archie had no patients. When Archie was busy, Henry took Pongo and went sightseeing.

It was true that Regina was having good times with the dog. One afternoon when Archie was alone, Pongo fled the office without anyone seeing him. After searching almost the entire city, Archie called Regina in dismay stating that Pongo was missing and asking if she could help him to find his dog. Archie wasn't so surprised when Regina said that the dog had entered her office and was there with her.

"Regina, I'm so sorry! He left and I couldn't find him." Archie said entering Regina's office.

"Everything is fine, Archie! He was very polite and helpful." Regina said turning to the dog that was lying on the couch with his head on Regina's leg. "Aren't you, Pongo?" Regina smiled at the dog as she stroked the dog's head. Pongo barked upon hearing his name.

After the routine questions that Archie always had about Regina or the babies' health, he said goodbye and called Pongo, who didn't move.

"Come on, Pongo! You've made me walk far enough for one day." Archie said looking at the dog and having fun by the fact that the dog wouldn't move from Regina's leg. "Come on, boy!"

"Why don't you let him stay with me? I can take him to you later." Regina offered absently staring at the dog.

"Are you sure?" Archie looked doubtful at Regina.

"It's not like I'm turning him into a frog, Archie." Regina tried to make a joke.

"No, that's not... it's that if he is bothering you-"

"He's not. Indeed, Pongo is an excellent companion" she smiled.

"Okay then. I'll wait for you later. If you want to have dinner with me I can try to cook something." Archie offered.

"It's the least you can try to do for me Archie, considering it's because your children that I can't eat almost anything." she smiled again.

"Okay then. See you later." He said and left, denying the sudden urge to hug her.

Archie left the office and called Henry saying he had an idea to tell the boy and wanted to know his opinion.

"Hey, Henry!" Archie opened the door to his office to a smiling and extremely curious boy.

"Hey, Archie, I came running. What is your idea?"

"Did you know I lost Pongo today?"

"No. He disappeared? Did you find him? We need find him, Archie!" Henry sighed sadly.

"Calm down, Henry. Actually, I found him and you won't imagine where he was."

"Where?"

"He was with Regina. When I arrived at her office, he was lying on the couch with his head on her legs."

"Seriously? I knew that Mom liked Pongo. In recent weeks, she asked me a few things about dogs..." Henry said remembering the facts.

"So I got an idea!"

"What?" Henry asked excited about what was to come.

"Do you think Regina would like to stay with Pongo? I mean, I love him, he is my dog. But he likes Regina and I don't want her to be alone at home, it would be a great solution, what do you think?"

"I have a much better idea!"

"What idea?" Archie frowned.

"Why we don't buy her a dog? A female. We can buy a female Pongo? A Dalmatian. Mom would love it." Henry said happily.

"Well, I hadn't thought of that, but what if she doesn't want the dog?"

"She'll want it, maybe she'll get a little angry at first, but if we ask for her to stay with her, she'll stay, I'm sure... I even have a name for her." Henry said.

Archie smiled. Henry was a child but still acted like an adult. He always saw things in a different way from everyone else.

"Okay! So let's go find a Dalmatian! But this is our secret, okay Henry?" Archie asked.

"Okay, our secret!" Henry nodded very happy.

Later, Regina and Pongo arrived. They were having dinner at Granny's. At that time, everyone in the city knew about Regina's pregnancy, but few knew they were twins.

"Your Majesty!" Mr. Gold greeted Regina, approaching the table when the three ate calmly.

"What do you want, Gold?" Regina said irritably.

"Nothing, I just want to know how the future mommy is" Mr. Gold asked.

"She's fine!" Henry said. Regina gave him a grateful smile and went back to eating.

"I was thinking what their names would be..." Mr. Gold said with a smile.

Archie and Regina looked frightened at Mr. Gold. How did he find out about the twins? Who told him? And most importantly, was he planning something? The possibility of having her children close to Mr. Gold was frightening to Regina, who rose suddenly.

"How do you know that?" She asked angrily.

"Take it easy, your Majesty. I've missed that you were pregnant, now I prefer to keep myself updated!" Mr. Gold answered with a smile.

"You'll not touch my children, are you listening to me?" Archie said angrily.

"So it's true, I was right. The Queen and the Cricket, who could imagine?" Mr. Gold said sarcastically, but before Archie and Regina could react, Belle appeared and pulled him.

"I'm sorry, Regina." Belle said, pulling Gold to her table.

"Don't apologize to her, Belle. It's because of her that Cora is here, in town." he said.

"Rumple, you promised me, remember?" Belle said looking into his eyes.

"It's okay, Belle. I was just having a conversation with Regina, that is all."

"Okay, let's go to our table." Belle said taking him with her and throwing an apologetic look to Regina.

Regina and Archie sat down at the table again. Archie and Henry resumed eating but Regina didn't. She was shaking.

"Regina, you're shaking!" Archie said looking at Regina and taking her hands in his. "And you are cold, are you okay?" he asked worried.

"I... I'm fine, Archie. I just lost my appetite, I think I'll go home now!" Regina said trying to soften the fear on her face.

"I'll go with you, mommy!" Henry said, ignoring his food.

"I would love that, Henry, but I think I need to be alone tonight and you have school tomorrow and I haven't talked to Emma about it, but if you want, you can sleep at home tomorrow. What do you think?" Regina offered looking calmer.

"Okay, but you'll take me to my grandparent's home?"

"Yes, of course!" She said, standing up and saying goodbye to Archie. He was concerned with Regina but didn't want to pressure her. Not now and not in front of Henry.

* * *

**Haha, So, what you think? Do you liked Henry's idea?**

**In the next, you will discover the babies' gender... Are you excited as I am?**

**Please, Reviews!**

**xoxo,**

**Bárbara**


	12. Chapter 12 - Two surprises!

**Hey guys! here is my chapter 12! I was thinking in update it just tomorrow but I couldn't wait anymore...**

**This chapter is definitely my favorite chapter until now. It contains much cuteness, you've been warned about that!**

**To Ailec-12; You are always the first in review me and I looooved it! You're awesome! Here is the next chapter and I think you'll like it... let me know!**

**To Hannah Holloway; Yep, I was missing you... haha Hope you like it!**

**To ThiefQueen; Sorry, haha, but I think I can't do it... so sorry! but please, continue reading it! xoxo**

**To Marina Masterson; As you could see, I'm not you true friend because I don't tell you their gender before post it. You don't deserve it! Love u, I loved your review even if it was the only one in centuries.**

**To Natali Rempel Drews; You're so in luck! You know much more than every one in the other site haha See you, sweet! *-***

**To Annie; thank you for everything! You're amazing and I can't stop myself to say it!**

**To Everybody; Thank all of you for read/follow and favorite my story. You're the best readers... haha**

**Hope everyone like this chapter...**

* * *

CHAPTER 12 – TWO SURPRISES

"Come on, Regina, we'll be late." Archie said lamenting the delay of Regina to leave City Hall.

"I'm going, Archie. I'm just signing the papers that need to be sent today." she said a little irritated.

"Come on, Regina. Isn't it possible that you are curious? Come on, you can do this later..." Archie said.

"Okay, I'm coming" she said, grabbing her coat and moving toward Archie who was at the door waiting for her.

They had an appointment with Dr. Whale. At the last ultrasound, the doctor said that he already knew the gender of one baby, but Regina preferred to wait and find out the gender of the two babies at the same time. It's time. Regina had slept little during the night and Archie couldn't sleep at all just thinking about today.

Henry spent the last three hours insisting to go with them, but Regina didn't let him go because he had class. She said that he would be the first to know, after Archie and her, of course. Soon as he left the school, Regina and Archie would tell him the news. Regina just didn't know that Henry also had a surprise for her when she got home.

Regina was 16 weeks pregnant now. She spent the most part of her day working at City Hall and the other part, teaching Emma. The few times she wasn't doing that, she was with Archie. They had spent much time together in recent weeks, though neither has realized it.

On the way to the hospital, Archie asked.

"Regina, don't you have a guess about their gender?" he asked curiously.

"Me? I don't. Do you?" she replied awkwardly.

"Ah, you're lying!" he said smiling "Come on, what do you think they are?"

"I don't know, Archie."

"You don't fool me anymore, Regina. You may not believe me, but I have learned a lot about you lately and I know when you are lying to me!" he smiled at her.

"So, you have had lessons with Emma about how to figure out when people are lying?" she laughed "She could teach me that too."

"Not all people, but you!" he defended. "And I have a hunch about their gender" he said casually.

"Seriously?" she looked curious. "What do you think they are?" She said with her hand on her belly.

"I'll not tell you my guess if you don't tell me yours-"

"Please, Archie. Tell me" she said pouting.

"No!"

"Please? I'll tell you what I think" she offered.

"See? I knew you had a guess. What do you think?"

"You first!"

"Okay, I would love to have two boys, would be really fun, but I don't think they are boys, I think they are two girls" he said with a huge smile "and you?"

"Two girls? Ever thought about that, Archie? Two girls like me running around town? You would have to get another job to pay for their clothes, shoes and bags" she said smiling.

"It's true!" he imagined the scene and started laughing.

"But I think it's a girl and a boy" she said looking at him "I don't know why, but that's what I think" Regina said, lifting her shoulders.

He looked at her with a huge smile.

"A boy and a girl? This is perfect!" He said.

"It's just a hunch, Archie" she said.

After arriving at the hospital, they were welcomed by Dr. Whale and were taken to the examination room. Dr. Whale was treating Regina differently. He noticed she was changing and now he had a chance to do something good for her, because in the past, he had been one of those who spoiled and manipulated her. So, helping her now meant a lot to him.

"Hey!" Dr. Whale said smiling at the couple in front of him.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Whale" Archie and Regina replied.

"So, Regina. How you have been?"

"I'm fine... I'm hungry all the time and the morning sickness is decreasing, which is very good." Regina said absently running her fingers over her belly that was a little more swollen.

"That's good. I looked at the results of your examinations and they seem pretty good. Are you ready to see them?" Dr. Whale said pointing to the ultrasound machine.

"Yes, let's see them!" Regina said extremely excitedly.

Seeing their babies on the screen was always a fun moment for both of them, seeing that they were growing and moving inside Regina's belly. Unfortunately, for Archie, just Regina could feel them moving, but they knew it wouldn't take long for everyone to feel these babies moving. They were very active.

"So, here they are!" Dr. Whale said as he showed the babies to the prospective parents.

"Can you already see what they are?" Archie asked excitedly.

"Well, as I've seen in the last query, I was sure about the gender of one of them and now I can see the other" he said looking at the screen.

"So?" Archie almost screamed in nervousness.

"Take it easy, Archie." Regina laughed.

"Well, can you see this here? This is baby A and it is a girl" he said watching the couple who sighed in surprise.

"Yes! We're having a girl!" Archie said getting up from his chair and screaming.

"I knew it!" Regina said happily.

"Please, Archie. Will you let me tell you the gender of the other baby?" Dr. Whale asked.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just so excited." Archie apologized, embarrassed, but very excitedly.

Once Archie sat down and looked at Regina, both were teary eyed and had a silly smile on their face.

"The other baby is much calmer than baby A" at the time that Dr. Whale started talking about the other baby, both Archie and Regina were attentive and holding hands "and… baby B is definitely another little girl" Dr. Whale said pointing to the screen.

Regina was speechless and thrilled. Archie was out of control. He was jumping and screaming "Two girls! I'm having two daughters" while Dr. Whale tried to calm him.

"You hear that, Regina? I was right! We're having two little girls!" Archie said looking at her, who had tears in her eyes, when he suddenly reached over and kissed her.

The kiss lasted a few seconds and Regina returned the kiss. She didn't know what she was feeling at that moment, but that was one of the best kisses she had ever experienced and when it ended, she wished it hadn't finished so fast. Archie, on the other hand, was so excited he didn't even realize what he was doing. When he realized he was kissing Regina, he thought it was because of momentary joy, but it was something he had been waiting to do for a long time. Kiss her. So when he had decided to pull away, he felt that she was kissing him back, she was corresponding.

"I… I'm so sorry, Regina" Archie said sheepishly.

"No… it's… it's okay" Regina said still frightened by the sudden kiss and the strange feelings that bubbled in her stomach.

"No… I'm sorry… I was so happy. I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry" Archie said feeling totally embarrassed.

"It's okay, Archie, you were just so happy, that's all!" she said shaking his hand and trying to calm him. She was still trying to distinguish what she was feeling and trying to convince herself that it was_ 'just so happy'._

"Let's hear their heartbeats?" Dr. Whale said trying to break the discomfort that filled the room.

They heard the beats. Dr. Whale said that everything was okay with the babies and Regina scheduled another appointment for a few weeks later.

On the way to home, the car was silent. Neither of them had the courage to say anything, even though they were incredibly happy. Archie was sure that this was the happiest moment of his life and Regina still was processing the recent events, especially the kiss.

When they arrived at Regina's mansion, they were surprised by Henry, who opened the door and came running toward them.

"So? What they are?" The boy said exasperated.

"Hold your horses, Henry!" Archie said trying to calm the boy.

"Let's go into the house first" Regina said smiling at him. Then, the boy ran to the room and waited for his mother to enter.

"Okay, we're inside. What they are?" Henry almost screamed anxiously.

"Well, Henry, you'll have two sisters!" Regina said immensely happy.

"What? Two sisters? This is awesome!" Henry said jumping on the couch.

"Yeah, Henry. Looks like I won!" Archie said as he sat on the couch looking funnier.

"What is it, Archie?" Regina asked, noting his fun face.

"He's happy because he won our bet!" Henry said a little sad.

"You owe me, Henry!" Archie said happily humming to Henry.

"Ok, I think I got it wrong this time, but its mom's fault. She said she thought there was a boy and girl!" he defended himself.

"Don't worry, Henry! You said you were happy, moreover you'll be their super hero, just as you're mine!" she said winking at Henry, sitting on the couch to put her swollen feet up. "And I think Archie wouldn't dare to take your money" she looked at Archie with an interrogation face.

"Sure I will. A bet is a bet!" Archie said.

"It's not fair, Archie! It was mom who made me lose!" Henry pouted.

"You owe me, Henry!" Archie said ignoring the boy and laughing.

"Okay, Archie, okay! But we still have another bet in play, I can still beat you, don't forget that!" Henry reminded the older man.

"What bet?" Regina asked curious.

"It's still a secret, mom!" Henry hastened to speak, earning a curious look from Regina, who laughed.

"Mom?"

"Hum?" she looked at him.

"Do they already have names?" he asked curiously.

"Not yet, Henry. We haven't thought about names yet, do you have any in mind?" she asked.

"Not yet! But I could think of names…" he said smiling.

"That's good" Archie said winking at Henry.

"So, Regina, do you want something to eat?" Archie asked.

She looked at him a little pensive "I hate fries, but I have an urge to eat that!" she said looking defeated and smiling at the face of joy that Henry had.

"We can go eat at Granny's?" Henry asked anxiously.

"I think so, I'm too tired to cook now" she sighed.

"Okay, so let's go!" Archie got up from the couch and offered a hand to Regina to help her get up.

They dined and Regina wasn't feeling so sick as before. After eating and spending a few minutes chatting and joking, Archie asked Regina to go with him to get something he had forgotten in his apartment.

When they arrived, Pongo jumped on Regina as he always did. She smiled at him and stroked the dog's head.

"Mom, come see this!" Henry shouted from Archie's room.

Regina looked scared at Archie and he pretended not to know anything.

"What's happening, Henry?" She said running toward him.

When she opened the door, she almost dropped her phone. There was a dog with a gift ribbon wrapped around her neck. It was identical to Pongo. Regina even had to look back to make sure that Pongo was still behind her and really had another dog like him.

"Oh my God, what is that?" Regina said gasped.

"That is our gift to you" Archie said as he approached Henry, who was holding the dog.

"I gave him the idea" Henry said proud of himself.

"It's… mine?" she asked grinning.

"It is!" Archie smiled at her.

"Surprise, mom!" Henry said happily.

"Really? She is really mine?" Regina was speechless, the dog was so beautiful, looked so much like Pongo, but it was even more beautiful.

"Of course, we bought it just for you!" Archie said encouraging her to approach the dog.

"She's beautiful!" she said, as the dog ran to Regina.

_She really has something with animals,_ they thought.

"We didn't want you to be alone at home, so I thought I'd give you Pongo, at least for now. When I told Henry, he gave me this idea to buy a dog just for you. We spent many days searching, it was difficult to find, but it is exactly what we were imagining. I'm so glad you liked her." Archie explained.

"Glad you liked her, mom!" Henry said running to hug her.

Regina returned the hug and thanked Henry "Thank you, Henry. I love her." Then she ran into Archie's arms and hugged him "Thank you Archie, she is just beautiful and she is MINE!" she said anxiously.

"You're welcome, Regina!" Archie said wishing she stayed in his arms longer.

"You'll give me two sisters, so I also wanted to give you a present!" Henry said.

"What name will you give her?" Archie asked curiously.

"I don't know… What do you think, Henry?" Regina asked still stroking the dog's head.

"What do you mean 'what name will you give her'? It's obvious that her name will be Perdita!" The boy said confidently.

"Perdita?" Regina asked confused while Archie laughed. "Why Perdita, Henry?"

"Because it's the name of the dog from the movie 101 Dalmatians, of course" Henry rolled his eyes "There is Pongo and Perdita" he concluded.

"And am I Cruella?" Regina said pretending to be upset.

"Of course not, mom. You're Perdita's owner and Archie is Pongo's owner. That means you'll have to get married." He said quietly.

Archie and Regina got nervous when Henry showed where his thoughts were going. Out of the question, Regina thought while both tried to change the subject.

"So, I love her! Can I take her to home today?"

"Of course!" Archie replied.

"She'll be your company when either me or Archie aren't with you and while my sisters haven't come yet" Henry explained.

Regina smiled at that. "This is amazing, Henry. Thank you!"

They left Henry with Emma, and then Archie and Pongo took Regina and Perdita home.

Regina was very tired, but she couldn't help herself. She was so happy. She could easily say that it was one of the happiest moments of her life. She had her son back, she was pregnant with twins, she had an amazing friend and father to her babies and now she had a dog.

After a long and happy day, Regina finally lay in bed. She spent several minutes whispering to herself and running her fingers gently on her belly, feeling some movements, even though it was weak she could still feel it. It was an incredible feeling, she thought she had never experienced anything like this.

Perdita was lying on the rug beside Regina's bed, looking at her. Regina looked at the dog and was greeted with a tail wag.

"Hey, Perdita! You want to lay here?" she said clapping her hands on the mattress. The dog immediately got up, jumped in Regina's bed and lay down beside her. "Good girl, but don't get used to it" she said as she ran her hands on the dog. In exchange, Perdita licked her hands.

Then, they slept.

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**Heeey, what you think? 2 girls and Perdita *-* I looooved it and you?**

**Now, I need some ideas about names... can I count on your help?**

**Please, let me reviews!**

**xoxo,**

**Bárbara**


	13. Chapter 13 - Trying to Change

**Hey, here is the chapter 13!**

**I have to say, the last night episode was OMG! I can't! I fear for Snow's life. I can't kill her truly, but I can do this in here.**

**I'm so sad, sometimes I just wanna that the authors kill Regina off and then, she'll stop suffering and I'll stop with this show and I MAYBE can continue with my life.**

**Sorry, but I needed to vent.**

**I just want to thank you all the amazing reviews that I received in the last chapter. I love u guys, you 'rock'.**

**To jcat30; Thank you sweet heart for reviewed me. I don't know, something brand new is better. I don't want the babies to be part of a fairy tale, I wanna them to be a new start!**

**To Marina Masterson; I love you miga haha, yesterday you proved me your friendship. Love u love u! Thank you for review me, thank you for the comment. Keep reading and leaving me your precious opinion. Forçei a barra, né?**

**To Ailec-12; Yeah, you always were haha until now! I have to ask you something. Are you, I don't know how, reading my story before I post it? Really! I mean... You're always right and I hate you because you hit the 2 names, how can you do that? Our dog OF COURSE will get used. Love u! Keep reading and thank you for the reviews! xoxo**

**To WestWingFeminista; Thank you so much! Keep reading...**

**To Gotapenname; hahaha Are you trying to confuse me? you almost could do that! haha Thank you for review!**

**To Guest; I'm glad that you loved this haha! Thank you so much!**

**To Ana Paula; I know you need more moments of them, but you almost don't read this story, you can't demand anything! haha Love u so much, you know that? Thank you for reading it!**

**To Hannah Holloway; You know what? I'm always waiting for your reviews! Thank you so much and "physics course" ahaha I do civil engineering and I'm going almost crazy! haha I totally understand you!**

**To Anarra; haha she's awesome, isn't she? haha Thank you for review! keep reading.**

**Thank you all of you! Enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER 13 – TRYING TO CHANGE

The next day.

"Emma, you're late!" Regina said as she was getting up from the bench that she was sitting on in the stables.

"You know how it is, Regina, don't you? When your son gets reluctant to go to school because he's wondering how things will be when his sisters are born and what he will be able to do with them… things like that" Emma said seriously to Regina.

"I knew he wouldn't keep it a secret!" Regina said, shaking her head and laughing.

"Absolutely not, he's told it to everyone he's seen and it probably will be the subject of his class." Emma said laughing. "And, wouldn't you tell me anyway?" she said staring at Regina.

"No!" she answered quickly.

"Of course you would, you wouldn't be able to stand to see me every morning without telling me that... what are you thinking?" Emma smiled.

"As always, Miss Swan, you're convinced!" Regina said trying to look seriously.

"Still, I'm sure, I can almost say that you love giving me lessons in the morning" Emma said trying to make Regina get irritated.

"I just do it because I need you!" she defended herself.

"Okay" Emma decided to leave the joke aside. "What will I learn today?" she asked excitedly.

"I was thinking, I'll teach you to do the same spell that Mr. Gold used at the hospital. It's a barrier spell, it works like a bubble. Once released, no one can pass through it. At least while the spell lasts and yours will be very powerful."

"Cool!" Emma shouted "So, what do I have to do?"

After spending the whole morning teaching Emma, Regina and Perdita went to City Hall and spent the whole day there. They dined with Archie and then, Regina went home to rest.

* * *

_Regina was lying under a tree. It was a sunny day. Henry was running with one of his sisters, who was two years old now. Her other daughter was sleeping beside her. Archie came and sat beside her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead._

_"They are so similar to you" he said looking at his daughter._

_Regina kissed him passionately._

_"I'm such a lucky guy, I'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world and I have three wonderful children" Archie said looking lovingly into her eyes._

_Regina loved when Archie was referring to Henry as his son. "You're the best thing that has happened to me!" she said._

_"Archie!" "Daddy!" they shouted from afar. "Come play with us!" Henry shouted._

_Archie kissed Regina quickly and ran to play with his children. Regina watched Archie and her children playing for a few minutes and then she proceeded to watch her daughter sleeping. She looked at the girl with love, but suddenly she felt like she had no control over herself. Feelings from the past were surfacing. She felt a tingling in her veins and she knew what this feeling was. Dark magic. She lost control of her actions and then grabbed the neck of the girl who was sleeping beside her._

_Archie heard the girl's screams and looked in horror at the scene. Regina was suffocating her own daughter. He ran toward Regina and started yelling at the woman to stop, but before he could get closer, Regina tossed him meters away from the two._

_"Regina! Stop, what are you doing?" Archie cried._

_"Don't worry, Archie, it's me!" Regina said._

_"Mom! You're hurting her, stop, mom, please!" Henry said crying, but Regina didn't heed. She felt no remorse, instead, she felt happy to see her daughter's suffering._

_A purple smoke emerged near Regina and Cora appeared._

_"Stop it, Regina. You're hurting your own daughter!" Cora said angrily._

_"And what does it matter? You did the same thing to me!" she shouted back._

_With a wave of her hands, Cora lifted Regina in the air, causing the little girl to fall unconscious to the ground. Archie ran to the girl and took her in his arms, moving away from Regina._

_"What are you doing? Let me finish!" Regina yelled again at her mother._

_"Regina, I'm saving your daughter's life and yours too!" Cora looked sadly at her daughter. "You need to get back to normal, Regina. You are no longer the Evil Queen. You've a family, you need to protect them and not try killing them" Cora yelled at the woman that still hung in the air._

_Regina suddenly felt lost. It was as if she had just awakened from a trance and didn't know where she was._

_"Mother?" Regina looked scared. "Mother, what's going on?"_

_Cora, realizing that her daughter was lost, looked at her lovingly while returning her to the ground gently._

_"Regina" the mother called softly._

_Regina looked into her eyes, but couldn't understand what was happening. Then, she heard people crying behind her and turned her face and found Archie and Henry crying next to one of their daughters who was lying on the floor and the other was looking scared for her._

_"Oh my God, what happened? What's happening?" Regina said running towards her family._

_"Don't come near, Regina. You're a monster, I hate you! You're a monster" Archie said angrily._

_Regina didn't understand anything, but Archie's words hurt much more than she could imagine._

_"Archie? What's happening? Let me see my daughter" she asked while crying, but was prevented by Archie again._

_"You're a witch, I hate you. You have always been and will never stop being the Evil Queen, I should never have trusted you! I hate you! You killed my daughter, Regina, you have no heart!" he yelled at her._

_Regina was looking at him with wide eyes and full of tears. Her daughter, her precious daughter was dead? Why was he saying she killed her? She would never kill her own daughter, she loves her. Regina turned to her mother angry._

_"What did you do, mother?" she screamed._

_"Regina, listen to me, you're-"_

_"No! I did nothing, are you crazy? What did you do? Why did you hurt my daughter? I believed in you, I thought you had changed. I hate you!" she cried._

_"No, my love. Try to remember. I tried to stop you, but you were gone, I swear I tried, sorry, my love, I arrived too late" Cora said crying._

_Then, Regina remembered what happened. She remembered when she was suffocating her daughter, with her own hands._

_"Oh my God!" Regina screamed realizing what she had done and everything went black._

* * *

Regina opened her eyes desperately. She sat on her bed and was hyperventilating. She was sweaty and was crying and shaking. She ran her hands over her belly and let out a relieved breath when she felt the bulge. These nightmares were getting worse and more frequent. Each new dream, she woke up even more frightened.

She thought it was something in her head or the fear speaking louder, the fear of becoming the Evil Queen again, but now she was afraid that these dreams could be a warning. She doesn't want to become the Evil Queen again. She didn't want to hurt anyone else, especially those that she loves most. She was scared and wanted to tell someone about her dreams. Maybe Archie? No. He would go crazy and she can't talk about it to anyone.

She got up, went to the bathroom and washed her face. Perdita was lying on the rug beside the bed and Regina cannot help but smile at the dog that was sleeping peacefully. She looked at the clock and saw that it was still 1:28 am. She needed to go back to sleep, but sleep didn't come. She went to the kitchen and made a snack, then decided to try to read a book, but she still felt not sleepy. After numerous attempts, she looked at the clock and it was marking 2:01 am. She was fighting the sudden urge to go visit her mother. But she lost. She got dressed, grabbed the car keys and drove to the mine.

After a few minutes trying to convince Leroy to let her go and talk to her mother, Regina finally approached her cell.

"Mother?" Regina called and like the first time, it was necessary for Regina to call at least two more times for Cora to hear.

"Regina?" Cora asked sleepily.

"Yes, mother" Regina said, glancing at Cora who seemed to awaken from her somnolence state.

"I missed you, Regina" Cora said approaching the railings and looking at Regina with a sad smile. "I'm glad that you're back."

Regina just nodded. Then Cora saw Regina's belly. It was much bigger than the last time she visited her. She couldn't remember ever seeing Regina so beautiful, her face was bright and Cora could feel the joy that came from Regina, but her eyes were full of fear.

"Regina, are you okay?" Cora asked and Regina could hear a note of concern that came in her voice.

"I'm fine" she whispered. "you?" Regina asked looking at her mother.

"I'm fine" she said smiling "I'm locked up here, but I'm fine" Cora completed and a silence filled the air. It took a few minutes for Cora to finally break the silence "You look beautiful, but I know you, I'm your mother and you seem... your eyes are full of fear" she said staring into Regina's eyes "What happened?"

Regina knew that Cora knew everything about her, after all she still was her mother and because that Cora might note that Regina had a real reason to come visit her. Regina was afraid and, although she has done all that she has, she still expected that Cora could comfort her and calm her, even though she didn't want to admit it.

"Nothing" Regina said avoiding eye contact with her mother.

"I know you, Regina, I'm your mother. What happened? Is something wrong with the baby?" She asked worriedly.

"No!" Regina answered quickly. "Babie- THE baby is fine." Regina said, smiling, trying to avoid the brief panic that she felt of almost revealing to her mother about the twins.

The two women were silent again. Regina sat down and leaned back on the bars of the cell, Cora did the same thing, resting her back against the bars. The two were seated, backs against each other in silence.

"What are you afraid of?" Cora asked quietly.

With tears in her eyes, Regina replied "I don't know if I can trust you."

"Regina, I know I have done many things wrong, but I want to change for you. Once, you told me you were trying to change for Henry and be worthy of him and that I owed you the same. I realize that it's true. I want to change, for you, because I love you. I know you don't believe me, but I'll fight for you until the death if need be, I will strive to be a better person." Cora said looking out at Regina with the corner of her eyes.

Every new word that Regina listened to, she felt like crying. She still loved her mother. _Damn!_ After all she did, she still loved her and wanted to believe her. She was vulnerable in front of her mother.

"I love you" Cora said passing her hand over Regina's hand, which was lying on the ground.

"I love you too, Mom" Regina said crying as she shook her mother's hands. She wanted to hug her, she wanted to share with her all the news of her life, but she was still afraid.

They sat that way for several minutes. Only one resting on the other, in the comfort that the other's presence can offer. Their relationship was evolving and Regina felt that Cora was really trying to improve.

Regina came home around 4 o'clock in the morning. She was exhausted, but somehow, seeing her mother helped reassure her. She was greeted at the door by Perdita and then she went to the bedroom. Once she lay in bed, she slept.

The next morning, Regina was awakened by Archie's call. She had lost time. Emma was going to spend the whole morning throwing it in her face. The Mayor was delayed. But Regina couldn't avoid it.

"Good morning, Miss Swan" Regina said as she walked hurriedly into the stables.

"Good Afternoon!" Emma joked. "What happened, Regina? You never lose the time and you're looking like crap!" She said looking Regina from head to toe.

"Thanks for the compliment" Regina smiled wryly to Emma.

"You're welcome!" Emma would enjoy every single moment this morning. "You didn't sleep well?" She asked noticing the tired expression on Regina's face.

Regina shivered. She asked Leroy to not say anything about her visits. _What if Leroy had told Emma about the visits?_ How could she trust that he would be loyal to her? She was the Evil Queen.

"I... I…" Regina began to stammer "I couldn't sleep well" she said avoiding Emma's eyes.

"Ok! If you're too tired, we can do this tomorrow, I don't see any problem with that" Emma tried to be flexible, but was cut short by Regina.

"No! I'm fine, I'm just starving" she said smiling at Emma.

"Well, I guess you're in luck, because I took Henry to have breakfast at Granny's and I brought some food, do you want some?" Emma said, noting Regina's face turning into pure joy only with the mention of food.

"I do!" She said excitedly.

"Okay, I'll get it for you!"

They spent the morning practicing, as they always did. Indeed, Regina spent the morning teaching Emma how to use her magic. Something was going on with Regina's magic this morning, but she didn't notice. Maybe it was the lack of rest or pregnancy, but Regina didn't feel her magic flowing as easily as ever.

* * *

**So, I promisse the next will be a little sweet. A LITTLE**

**Hey, what you think? Regina could/should trust in Cora?**

**The babies' names are close, probably in chapter 15 :)**

**Leave me reviews please?**

**See you, guys!**

**Bárbara,**

**xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14 - The nightmares are back

**Hey guys, here is the chapter 14 and I'm so sorry for the delay in update this. Last week I was totaly busy because of my University. I spent a whole night studying and ended up taking a 2 on the test. (2/10) I was so angry!**

**To Hannah Holloway; I'm so sorry for the delay. Maybe Cora deserve some chance to change? I don't know, I just think she souldn't have died so fast in the show. I'm sad. I like Regina/Emma moments too and I have some moments more nice coming, just wait!**

**To Ailec-12; Really! I'm not lying. I think Regina don't want tell anyone about the dreams, I don't know, maybe she thinks it will pass with time? But I think it is not working for her. Annnnd, the names babies (you already know it :/) will be here in the next chapter, unfortunately for you, it will not be a surprise. See you, sweet! haha**

**To Aussie-Muggle; Yep, you're right! Sorry haha and thank you for correcting me, please keep reading and reviewing my story.**

**To Guest; I don't know your name *sad* but I loved your idea, seriously, you opened my mind haha now I have some ideas. Thank you so much! Really! Thank you!**

**To Marina Masterson; I'm glad you liked. I think your source is totaly right and I'm so sorry but I can't promise you anything. This is a drama story... I need DRAMA! haha But I think Cora could change for her, just as she did for Henry. Don't you agree with me? Love u migs ;)**

**To Ana Paula; Migs, Thank you so much for read my story! haha Please, keep reading and LEAVING ME REVIEWS! haha Because of you I'm writing many sweets moments between Regina and Archie. You'll see.**

**To Annie; Thank you, my beautiful and fantastic beta reader.**

**Thank you all of you!**

**Enjoy it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 14 - THE NIGHTMARES ARE BACK

_Henry was asleep when he felt someone shake him from his sleep._

_"Henry, Henry, wake up!" Emma called._

_"Emma?" The boy asked still sleepy._

_"Come on, Henry! We need to find Regina and get out of here! Cora is coming." Emma whispered frightened._

_"What? Where is my mom?" The boy asked rising more_ _seriously_**.**

_"I don't know, Henry, we need to find her, Archie's waiting for us out there." She said getting up from the boy's bed and running towards the door._

_"She's asleep, she must be in her room, let's go" Henry said pulling Emma toward the Regina's bedroom._

_"No, Henry, I've been there. She wasn't there. Come on, we need to find her."_

_"But she was asleep, she is very tired, where is she?" The boy said worried._

_The two tried again in Regina's bedroom, but she wasn't there. They searched for her in every room possible, but couldn't find her. Leaving only the home office left to check. When they opened the door, the two let out a sigh of relief at seeing Regina asleep on the couch._

_"Mommy?" "Regina" They both tried to wake the woman._

_"What? What is it?" Regina opened her eyes frightened._

_"Come on, Regina, we need to leave. Cora is coming!" Emma said, helping Regina to sit on the couch._

_"What? My mother is coming? Damn! Where's Archie?" She asked panicking._

_"He's out there waiting for us. David and Mary Margaret are also there in case she comes and they need to stop her from entering" Emma explained._

_Regina left the couch with Henry and Emma's help. She was huge and the baby could come at any moment. Running as fast as a pregnant woman could run, Regina, Henry and Emma went to the door of the house. Smoke appeared between them and the door. Cora appeared smiling insanely._

_"Trying to get out before me, my dear?" Cora asked with a dark laugh._

_"Stay away from her!" Henry shouted and before Regina knew it, he and Emma were placed in front of her protectively._

_"Regina, I said I'd find you. You think you can escape me?" Cora said starting to get irritated. "And you two... you really think you can fight me?" Cora said, with a wave of the hand was throwing Henry and Emma away from Regina and slamming them against the wall._

_"No!" Regina shouted. "Don't hurt them! What do you want?" She asked feeling helpless against her mother while a pang grew at the bottom of her belly._

_"You know what I want, Regina. I want you!" She said taking steps towards Regina._

_Henry watched stunned when Cora came dangerously close to Regina and invoked a spell. With the noises coming from inside the house, Archie, Mary Margaret and David ran into the house in time to watch a purple smoke that was enveloping the two powerful women._

_They tried to approach, but an invisible force prevented them from doing so. The two women were silent, staring into the eyes of the other deeply. They were fighting and they were communicating in a way that only they can understand. They spent few minutes in that way, a dispute between them was happening._

_"Mommy?" Henry shouted worriedly when he saw blood starting to run down Regina's legs, making a puddle of blood on the floor._

_"Regina?" Archie yelled worried, trying to approach her, but failed. "Stop, Regina! You're hurting yourself, Regina!" He kept screaming._

_The four were staring transfixed at the two women, they couldn't do anything. Henry watched as his mother's face contorted in pain, yet she didn't break eye contact with her mother. Suddenly, more blood began to drip down her legs, now her nose was bleeding too and her whole body turned pale._

_A strong explosion happened and the people in the room had to close their eyes to avoid the strong light could hurt their eyes. A few seconds later, they opened their eyes and there was only silence. The women, who once were floating in the room, disappeared. Suddenly, Emma shouted as she saw Regina lying on the ground._

_They ran to her and tried to wake her. Archie was stunned, Mary Margaret and David couldn't believe when Emma touched Regina's neck looking for some sign of life and couldn't find anything. She was dead. Dead. That word sounded in Henry's ears and he couldn't believe it. In the next second, he was yelling at her and holding the lifeless body in his arms, waiting for her to open her eyes and said everything was fine, but she didn't._

_His precious mother had died._

_"Henry?" The boy can hear the despairing voice pulling him away from Regina. Henry?"_

* * *

"Henry?" Emma and Mary Margaret were shaking the boy and calling him.

"It's okay, Henry! It was just a dream, just a dream!" Emma said, trying to calm the boy in her arms, but Henry couldn't control the tears.

"What happened, Henry?" Mary Margaret asked worriedly, meeting his eyes.

"I want my mother!" The boy struggled to speak between desperate sobs. "Where is my mother? I want to go see her now!" He said, his eyes swollen as he rose from the bed.

"But Henry, it's the middle of the night! I'm sure she's asleep" Mary Margaret tried to speak.

"No." the boy screamed "I want to see my mom now" he said.

"Why don't we do the same as before? You call her and check if she's okay and you will stay with her tomorrow." Emma tried, knowing that the boy would never sleep if he didn't speak with Regina. These nightmares he was having were becoming more frequent and although the boy didn't tell Emma about what these dreams, Emma knew that these were about Regina.

"No! I don't want to talk to her on the phone, take me there, please?" He asked crying.

The two women saw that there would be no other way to calm the boy. Emma had to take him to Regina. Even though it was late at night, it was the only way the boy would go back to sleep. Emma picked up the phone to call and tell Regina that she was going to leave Henry, but the boy stopped her, saying he didn't want to wake his mother now.

When the two arrived at Regina's door and Emma was about to ring the bell, Henry took a key from his pocket and opened the door.

The boy threw the bag on the couch and made his way to the stairs, being followed by Emma. Silently, he opened Regina's door and Emma could see the look of relief on his face when the boy saw that she was sleeping. Emma was at the door when she saw the boy approaching the bed and take a good look at his mother, as if making sure that she was really fine. Gently he whispered into his mother's ears and shook her shoulder.

It didn't take long for Regina woke up. She was still very sleepy when she opened her eyes and saw her son's figure. He had been crying, she knew it.

"Henry, what happened?" She asked, looking much less sleepy and more serious than usual.

"Nothing happened, Mom. I just couldn't sleep..." The boy tried to lie to not worry Regina.

"Henry, I know when you're lying, what happened?" She asked looking into his eyes and then she noticed Emma's figure in the door "What happened, Miss Swan?" She asked a little irritated.

"He had a nightmare and asked me to bring him to you" Emma explained.

"The nightmares came back, Henry?" Regina asked worriedly.

The boy only nodded. "Can I sleep here with you tonight?" He said a little embarrassed.

Regina gave him a loving smile, knowing that the boy would not talk about their dreams. "Of course you can, come here."

Emma watched as Henry ran to the side where Perdita was lying and got under the covers, hugging Regina.

"Good night, Mom!" Henry said and closed his eyes when the tranquility of being in his mother's arms invaded him.

"Good night, my love." Regina smiled at him, snuggling up in the comfort of his son's body and kissed his head. "I love you."

"So, good night to you two. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Regina" Emma said closing the door and leaving them to sleep.

* * *

"Regina, we must come back to thinking about names... what do you think? You already have some in mind?" Archie asked looking at Regina's eyes while massaging her swollen feet. They were waiting for Henry so Regina could take him home.

"I don't know... I have some names in mind, but I'm not sure yet. And you?" She asked letting out a moan of pleasure when Archie massaged a particularly painful point on her feet.

"I also have some names in mind, not many actually, just three" he replied.

"Which?"

"Well, I thought about Kate, I like that name and I don't know why." He said raising his eyebrows "I also like Alexandria and Karol" He said sincerely.

"You're definitely not going to name my daughter Kate, and much less Karol!" Regina said looking very seriously at him.

"Why not, Regina? These names are very common and beautiful."

"Exactly, Kate is a very common name and I don't like it, Karol, I don't know, just does not fit."

"What about Alexandria?"

"Well, Alexandria is a beautiful name, but we still have a lot to discuss."

"Okay, and what are your ideas?" He asked curiously.

"I didn't think much about it yet, but I like Sophia and Julie."

"For God's sake, Regina, these names are horrible" Archie said getting up from the couch and going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"There aren't horrible! Yours are. You want to name one of them Kate, you're completely mad!" She was gesturing with her hands.

"I'm not mad, Regina. Sophia, I have nothing against that name, but I don't think that matches my daughters!"

"And what do you think matches them if you don't know them yet?" Regina said challenging him with a look.

"Okay, I guess we'll know when we find the right names. Although I think we will never come to an agreement, you may have to choose a name and I choose the other" he suggested.

"Out of the question!" She spoke quickly.

"Out of the question?" He asked staring at her.

"Of course not! I will not let you use these horrible names on my daughters..." She said quietly as she passed her hand on her belly.

Archie sat next to her and touched her belly.

"I'm so jealous of you" He said as he ran his hand gently down her belly. "You're with them all the time and you can already feel them, I can't even feel them moving or kicking" he said sadly. "And what if they don't know that I am their father when they are born?"

Regina had to restrain herself from crying in front of Archie. She could blame the damn hormones, but it still wasn't easy for her to be crying in front of others, even if it is the father of her babies.

"They will know. Actually, I think they already know" Regina said offering a smile to Archie.

"Why do you think that?" He asked a little more curiously.

"Because I only feel them when I'm around you." She said looking at him. "I know that they only do very small movements and sometimes I can barely feel them, but it happens when you are talking to me or are around me" she says, smiling and rolling her eyes.

Archie smiled back.

"And I'm sure you'll soon be able to feel them kicking, it will not take long, it's just a matter of time!" She said aloud, but it was like she was trying to say it for herself. "And the names? We can think about it later. Henry can also add his opinion and I like Alexandria!" She said smiling at him "But it's still just an idea."

"I like that name!" He said smiling at her.

All the spare time they both had always revolved around their babies, their names or how things were going at City Hall and how the training with Emma was going. Regina never spoke to anyone about her constant nightmares or that she was visiting Cora. Although she hated herself because of it, she loved her mother more than ever and she really believed that Cora was changing, and she was.

* * *

Some weeks later, Henry entered Regina's house, followed by Emma. The boy was euphoric. He ran into the kitchen, where Regina was eating a snack and threw his school bag on the counter. The two women only watched when the boy pulled out a piece of paper from his backpack and showed it to Regina.

"What is it, Henry?" Regina said as she recovered from the little scare.

"I made a list. I've spent the last few weeks working on it, but now it's definitely ready!" The boy said with a triumphant look.

"A list?" Emma asked, approaching Henry and taking a look over the boy's shoulders to see what was written on the paper in his hand.

"Yes, a list! Mom said that I could help choose the names, so I have prepared a list of all possible options." He said smiling.

"Oh, I see!" Regina said getting the list from Henry's hand and glanced at it quickly. "There are many names here, Henry" she said.

"Yes, I know there are many, but I had to gather all the possible options. Come on, let's choose the names" Henry said excitedly.

"Henry, don't you think Archie would like to join us?" Regina said.

"We can call him and he'll come!" The boy offered.

"Sure! Tomorrow we can have dinner together, then go to Archie's apartment and choose the names." Regina offered.

"Okay, but we have to choose these names soon, Mom! I already have my favorites!" The boy said taking a piece of food that was on the table.

"And what is it?" Regina asked extremely curious.

"Tomorrow I'll say" The boy said with a sly smile to his mother and left the kitchen.

* * *

The next morning, Regina was waiting for Emma to do the daily workouts when Emma and David came through the door.

"David? What are you doing here?" Regina said rising from her sitting position.

"He said he wanted to help us, so I decided to bring him" Emma said.

"But he has no magic" Regina offered confusing.

"I know that I don't have magic, Regina, but still I can help you" he offered with a smile.

"I don't see that happening, but how can you help me?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can help you. I cannot cast a spell, but I use my sword very well. I can help you in your defense lessons, for example!" He volunteered.

Regina thought for a minute, she didn't expect him to offer help. But he was right, he could help them with training. If Regina cast a spell on the sword of David, it would be able to deflect the magic and then he would be able to defend himself and it would be interesting for Emma to also have her father as her coach.

"Come on, Regina. You know it's a good idea!" Emma said walking closer to her.

"Maybe you can help us" she said thinking "But you have to be here every day in the morning." She replied quickly, earning a nod from David.

"Ok! Shall we begin?" David said with a smile grateful.

"We will, but give me your sword!" She ordered.

Emma and David looked at her curiously but with some suspicion. Although she was trying to change, it was still a little hard to trust her completely.

"You think I'll attack you with your own sword? If I wanted to hurt you, I could do it without your sword!" Regina said irritably, when she noticed the look of distrust that she was receiving from him.

He drew his sword and handed it to Regina, carefully watching what she was doing.

Regina closed her eyes and ran her hand gently over the sword that was surrounded by a bright purple smoke.

"What are you doing, Regina?" Emma asked a little curiously, but totally fascinated with the bright light surrounding the sword.

"Here!" Regina said giving back the sword to David. "It's protected against magic. If you know how to use it, magic can't hurt you." Regina said quietly.

They looked even more ecstatic by the sword and then by the woman in front of them. She was even helping them. She was even trying to improve, trying to be a better person, trying to change.

"Can I try that?" David asked extremely curious to see how it worked.

"Of course!" Regina said with a slight smile. "I will cast magic on you and with your sword, you can defend yourself and deviate from it."

"Ok, let's try!" David said excitedly.

Regina formed a fireball in her hand, not a fireball as big as Emma hoped, but still, a fireball more powerful than Emma could do. Regina looked at David, who was watching every Regina's movement, and threw the fireball toward David. David used his sword to defend himself and was speechless when he saw that he had hit no spark.

"That's wonderful!" David yelled, breaking the silence that had settled in the stables. "Can we do it again?"

"David, this is not a joke, we must train Emma!" Regina said a little softer, but still serious as ever. She was still surprised by the excited reaction he had.

"It's true! Ok, let's go!" He said, smiling at the two women.

* * *

**So, What you think about this chapter? I know it wasn't sweet but the next, I promise, will be! Wait for it.**

**In the next chapter you will see babies' names. You wanna try guess? (It not worth for you, Ailec-12;)**

**Please, leave me revies, let me know what you think! :)**

**See you in the next!**

**Bárbara**


	15. Chapter 15 - Names

**Hey, here is the chapter 15 and I have to apologize AGAIN because of the delay... I'm so so sorry.**

**As I promised before, you'll know their names in this chapter and I have to say, I loved write this one!**

**To Marina Masterson; for the first time, you was the first in post me a review! You asked and here is it... babies' names. Lov u menina velha!**

**To CCangel; I'm glad you likes it haha me too! Keep reading...**

**To Ailec; "Can I try to guess them? Hahaha." NOOOO! haha Hey, I almost changed their names because of you, but no, I love that you think like me! Keep with me, my favorite reader!**

**To Natali Rempel Drews; Você é quem manda :)**

**To Mirella Vieira; I'm so glad you loved it... keep reading. THANK YOU!**

**To JolieQueen5; You made my day, seriously! I read all the reviews and I loved every single one. You're amazing. Thank you so much for reading my story, thank you for reviewing me, thank you for your amazing comments. I just love u! haha**

**To my lovely Annie; THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! I couldn't do anything without you!**

**Thank you all of you who read, follow and favorite my story! You're amazing guys!**

**Please, Enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying.**

* * *

CHAPTER 15 – NAMES

"He made a list of names." Regina said sitting on the couch while Archie was preparing some hot chocolate for her.

"I would have done, but I already have my favorite names." Archie said.

"You should have seen it, there were about 50 names there!" She said laughing at him.

"I can imagine! Henry is a boy so creative that I'm afraid to even hear the names." He said laughing.

"It's true!" She laughed excitedly. "But I hope there's one name that we like there, because he will get mad if we don't choose at least one name from his list." Regina said.

"Surely he will." Archie said and sat on Regina's side, handing the cup with hot chocolate to her. "Are they awake?" Archie said placing his hand gently on her belly.

"I think not. They like to sleep during the day and stay up late at night when I'm trying to sleep" she said rolling her eyes and smiling at him.

They were very close and sometimes Regina found herself looking into Archie's eyes and wanting to kiss him and hug him. He was being so wonderful. He cooked for her and brought food to her when she wanted. She almost never was alone, he was always calling or texting her. He was present in all consultations. He even bought clothes for the babies. She wished she could fix some things she had done and one day, maybe one day she would have a real chance with a guy as good as Archie. Archie was a good guy, but Regina knew he was dealing with the Evil Queen in this way just because she was carrying his babies. That was the only reason. Who would love the Evil Queen?

"I'm home! I arrived!" Henry said invading Archie's office running in, totally excited.

Archie and Regina were frightened.

"Henry, take it easy!" Regina said quietly.

"Come on, show us!" Archie said, knowing that the boy's joy had everything to do with the list of names.

"Okay! Here we go." Henry said getting the list in hand and sitting in the chair that Archie usually sits when talking to his patients.

After more than half an hour talking names, Archie and Regina were exhausted. Henry had chosen some names that sounded horrible and some good ones.

"I liked Alexandria and London, Henry!" Archie said "And you Regina?" Archie asked looking at Regina.

"I don't know, I didn't like Georgia, but I liked Isabella, Charlotte, Lillian and Victoria." She said thinking a bit.

"I also liked Lillian!" Henry said excitedly.

"And what I like, you didn't like?" Archie said.

"I don't like London!" Henry spoke first.

"I like Alexandria!" Regina said soon after.

"Okay, so what options are left for our babies?" Archie said pointing to Henry's list.

"Well, Isabella, Lillian, Charlotte, Victoria and Alexandria" Henry said making notes on his list.

"I like Lillian and Victoria but I don't like Isabella!" Archie said.

"Then I'll take Isabella and Charlotte!" Henry said.

"But I like Isabella and Charlotte" Regina replied.

"I don't like Isabella, Mom!" Henry said raising his shoulders.

"Two against one! We will have no Isabella!" Archie said raising his arms in joy.

"Actually, it's three against two!" Regina said reminding him.

"That's not fair, Mom!" Henry said.

"Of course it's fair. I'm the one who is carrying the two and I should at least like the names!" She said defensively.

"No!" Archie and Henry said at the same time. "This is not fair, Regina!"

"I think they are awake!" Regina said stroking her back.

"Can I feel them?" Henry cried almost jumping from his chair.

"Of course you can, Henry!" Regina said, taking his small hand and positioning it where one of the girls was moving. Henry waited a few seconds until he felt the movement.

"It's moving!" Henry said extremely excited. "Why don't we let them choose the names they want?" Henry asked looking at his mother.

"It's a good idea, we can try!" Regina said looking at Archie.

"Okay, we can try." Archie said.

Henry sat on one of Regina's sides and Archie was on the other. They read all the names and waited to feel any movement. Nothing happened.

"I guess it wasn't a good idea!" Henry said dejectedly.

"Or they didn't like any name!" Archie said disappointed.

Regina couldn't help laughing at the two beside her.

"Give me the list! Let me try to read to them." Regina offered getting the list of Henry's hand. "Put your hand here, Henry!" Regina said and Archie was just looking.

"Victoria" Regina started and looked at the boys.

"Nothing!" Henry said.

"No sign of them!" Archie said staring at Regina's belly.

"Okay, I'll continue." Regina said. "The next name is Charlotte."

"Nothing yet!" Henry said.

"I think they already went back to sleep!" Archie said.

"They aren't sleeping." Regina said quickly "I can feel them moving."

"So I guess they are not enjoying the game or the names" Henry said.

Regina laughed at his impatience. "Calm down, Henry! Let's finish!" Said Regina and continued looking over through the list.

Regina rubbed her hand on her belly and whispered softly "I know you are awake, tiny! You need to help us choose your names!" She said, taking her hand off the belly so Archie and Henry could continue trying to feel something. The babies were moving much more in recent weeks. But they were much more active late at night and it was very rare they kick when Archie and Henry were around, although Regina could feel them moving when they were close. The two were in a constant struggle to see who the girls liked more. _Nonsense,_ Regina thought, but they were both very excited to be able to feel their movement anytime.

"Isabella" Regina said after a few seconds and looked smiling at the guys at the bottom.

"She kicked!" Henry said more enthusiastic than ever.

"She definitely kicked!" Archie said cheerfully.

"Yes, she kicked!" Regina said, smiling at them.

"Then it's done, our little one will be called Isabella!" Archie said happily.

"No! There is still a lot of names in the list!" Regina said looking at the list.

"She chose the name she wants, mom!" Henry said.

"But it's not fair, she didn't listen to all and I have left my favorite for last!" Regina said pouting.

"We will continue then" Archie said.

After passing for over fifteen names, Regina finally announced that it was the last name.

"It is the last!"

"Let me see" Archie said, took the list out of Regina's hand, looked at the last name and whispered very close to her belly in the expectation that the little girl would kick.

"Lillian!" Archie whispered, but no sign of her.

Archie and Henry were tired and disappointed. They were not very excited by choosing the names. In fact, after Isabella kicked, they had lost hope that the other baby could move because they thought the two had fallen asleep again.

"Give me the list, Archie, you don't know how to talk to her." Regina said pulling back the list of his hand.

"Lillian" Regina said more gently, but a little louder.

After a few seconds, there she was.

"She moved! She moved!" Archie said.

"Yes, my little sister moved!" Henry said cheerfully.

Regina realized that the two were more excited about the moves that the girls were doing than with their names.

"Lillian." Regina said experiencing the taste of that name in her mouth. "I knew she would like that name, it was my favorite!" Regina hummed happily.

"Lillian and Isabella, I like it!" Henry said yawning for what seemed the hundredth time.

Archie was glad, Regina could see, but he seemed a little disappointed.

"What is it, Archie? You don't like the names? We can choose another." Regina said running her hands on Archie's back trying to offer some comfort.

"No! It isn't that" he replied quickly, looking to Henry who was struggling to keep his eyes open and his head was on Regina's legs.

"What is it then?" Regina whispered confused.

"Them" Archie said, pointing briefly to her belly. Seeing the confusion on Regina's face, Archie continued. "You see? They only move when you talk to them. Don't they like me and Henry?" Archie asked seriously and then made a scared face "Don't they know that I am their father?"

Regina couldn't control her laughter.

"Not funny, Regina, I'm serious. Have you ever thought about what if they don't like me when they were born?" He asked with eyes wide in shock at the possibility of that happening.

"Archie, for God's sake! I cannot believe you're saying this!" Regina said laughing at him.

"I'm serious. You're the one who spends the whole day with them, they only know your voice." Archie said frowning.

"They are still very small, Archie. They know that you are their father, I know because they move more when you or Henry are near. They recognize my voice because I'm with them all the time, as you said. But in a few weeks, I'm sure they'll be moving like crazy when they hear your voice and you'll be able to feel them, I'm sure. Just give them a little more time." Regina said, smiling fondly at him.

Archie still had trouble understanding Regina. How that woman could be two completely different people. There was the Regina that everyone knew, the cold woman, calculating, manipulative and then there was the Regina that only Henry knew, and now he. The loving, gentle and sensitive Regina. A woman who cares about the welfare of whom she loves more than anything. She was so beautiful. Her eyes, her hair, her dark skin, her slender body. Not so slim now because of the pregnancy, but Archie thought she was prettier now, if that was possible.

Archie was in a mess of feelings for the woman since the first day she came to his office asking for help. Since the first time she trusted him, and told secrets of her past, the first time she cried in front of him, the first time he kissed her, from the first -and only- time that they slept together. He looked at her, without masks. She was simply beautiful. She raised her eyebrows confused and was looking at him totally lost. He had no idea how much time was spent admiring and thinking about her. He looked at her lips and was consumed by the desire to test them again. Regina had no time to react.

Archie came close to Regina's lips and brushed his against hers. The kiss was peaceful, gentle and passionate. Archie put his hands on her face and continued kissing her quietly. Regina lost her train of thought in the second when her lips met Archie's. Archie was trying to show Regina all the love he had for her, he tried to show her, by kissing, how he can love her and Regina realized that. A tear trickled down her face and Archie pulled away, breaking the kiss. Regina was still paralyzed and her breathing was shaky.

"Regina, are you okay?" Archie asked worriedly and lifted her chin with his hands gently causing her to look at him.

"Please, Archie, don't do this again, please!" She asked quietly staring at him with eyes full of unshed tears.

Archie didn't understand why Regina asked that, but he can see the sadness in her eyes and didn't want to bother her anymore.

"Sorry, Regina, I just-" Archie tried to talk sorry.

"It's okay, Archie. I just... I just want to go home. It's late and..." She was stuttering a bit "I have to wake up early tomorrow and Henry also..."

"Okay, okay, I'll take you!" Archie offered.

"Thank you, Archie!" Regina said, smiling slightly at him.

"You want me to take him or wake him up?" Archie asked, looking at Henry who was lying with his head on Regina's legs.

"You can take him for me?" Regina asked a little embarrassed "I don't want to wake him, he has been having some nightmares and it's difficult to get a restful night of sleep. He seems to be sleeping so peaceful." Regina said explaining and looking fondly at her son.

"No problem, shall we?" Archie asks, picking up the boy in his arms and walking toward the door.

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**So, what you think? Did you like their names?**

**Now, they already have a name, I'm so glad!**

**In the next we'll see some troubles and a new friendship coming.**

**Thank you for reading until here!**

**See you!**

**Bárbara**


	16. Chapter 16 - Always Evil Queen

**Hey guys... Here is the chapter 16. I loved writing this chapter and I'm so so sorry for the delay, Hope you can forgive me!**

**To Lucissa4Ever; Hey Lillian, I'm glad you loved the names and I LOOOVE YOUR NAME hahaha :) Keep reading me ;)**

**To itspb1; Oh, I hope so. They love each other but they can't see it (YET!) haha See you! I'm glad you liked my chapter.**

**To Ailec; Hey, I was wondering... can you guess what next? ah, OF COURSE YOU CAN! You read my story before I post it! You're my favorite reader, seriously! Now, my friends will hate me when they read it hahaha**

**To JolieQueen5; Yep, you were the number 100! Congratulations to you and to me too! I'm so happy. I loved your comments and the way you comment my chapters... Thank you so much!**

**To Guest; Thank you! I'm so happy because you liked it, but you don't let me your name (I'm sad now) annnd I think you're a BRASILEIRA :) Eu tbm! haha**

**To Hannah Holloway; Hey, I missed you! I'm glad you liked... see you!**

**To Gotapenname; Me too... but before everything going to be fine, we need some drama here haha and I promisse that this will come quickly... Thank you for you amazing review!**

**To Marina Masterson; I know you loved the names... "I think she's not used to being loved, she doesn't know how to behave in these situations, poor regina :/ which is why the resistance to let Archie approaching" My lovely friend, I'm so glad for you. I think you're going to understand how Regina feels. I'm turning you in a EVIL REGAL! Lov u! Thank you for everything...**

**To Mirella Vieira; Hahaha Thank you!**

**To Beforethedawnbreaks; N? haha O ;)**

**To Annie; Thank you! I couldn't do anything without you, my beta reader!**

**This chapter is special for me because in the last chapter I crossed 100 reviews****! You're amazing, guys! I LOVE YOU! ****Thank you all who read, followed and favorited my story! You ROCK!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 16 – ONCE EVIL THE QUEEN, ALWAYS THE EVIL QUEEN

A week later, Regina had just finished dinner at Granny's. It was after 10 pm, but Regina spent the last hour talking to the Grandma. After a while, Ruby and Granny went on to develop a fondness and respect for Regina. The two women knew Regina was different, she was getting better and now they could almost say that they liked Regina. Sometimes, when someone said something about the pregnant woman, they were the first to defend her.

Regina was already getting tired and left. When she closed the door and turned distractedly, she bumped into a man. Her smile disappeared immediately giving way to a frown.

"So it's true. The Queen is pregnant." The man said.

"Sidney! What do you want?" The woman asked angrily.

"Calm down, your Majesty. I don't want anything from you!" He said closing his eyes.

"Okay, so excuse me!" Regina said and turned, but he took a step to the side, getting back in front her. Regina wasn't enjoying it.

"Get out of my way, Sidney!" Regina said a little angrier.

"It's true that it is two girls?" He asked raising his hand and touching Regina's belly.

"Don't ever touch me again!" Regina shouted at him as she hit his hand away from her.

"Is it true?" He asked again.

"It is, now get out of my way!" Regina said and pushed him slightly past the man.

"You'll be a bad mother, just as your mother was!" He said to her, she stopped in her path and turned.

"Sidney, I don't want to hurt you!" Regina snapped and starting to tremble with rage.

"Of course not, your Majesty. You will be expected to do this with these kids, isn't it?" He said looking at her angrily.

Immediately, Regina's mind was flooded with images of her nightmares. She was always hurting her children, even though she loved them.

"Shut up, Sidney, I would never hurt my children and you know that" she said in a choked voice with sadness.

Ruby saw Sidney arguing with Regina and ran out of the restaurant, followed by Granny.

"You're a monster, Regina. You're the Evil Queen, however much you try to change, you will always be the Evil Queen and she doesn't love. Don't fool yourself, Regina. These girls will grow and they will know the horrible mother they have and they will not love you, they will hate you as Henry does, he's just excited because he will have two sisters, but that's all. He is still afraid of you!" He yelled.

Regina cannot control herself. She was crying. Every word Sidney spoke was actually everything she was more afraid. Fear of not being loved by her daughters, being a bad mother, becoming the Evil Queen again, like in her nightmares.

Ruby and Granny were watching, astonished. Everyone knew that Regina had been the Evil Queen, but now she is trying so hard to be different and she is getting it. He had no right to disturb her or talk that kind of thing.

Regina approached him and grabbed his neck. A purple smoke surrounded them and Sidney was running out of air. Regina's eyes were full of tears, but they were dark as they were when she was the Evil Queen.

"Regina, Stop!" Ruby shouted at the woman, but Regina didn't move.

"Regina, don't let him do that to you, you're better than that, please!" Granny said approaching the maximum that she could of Regina, but the woman didn't move.

Slowly, Ruby ran a hand on Regina's back and the other held Regina's hand who was choking Sidney, then she whispered "Regina, please stop! You can do this for Henry, you can do this for them" Ruby said running her hand gently on her belly.

It took a few seconds for Regina to finally make some movement. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them with a confused look. She let Sidney go, who fell to the floor, trying to breathe. Suddenly she felt a little dizzy and leaned on Ruby.

"Regina, are you okay?" Ruby asked holding the woman a little stronger.

"I... I'm fine" Regina said with difficulty.

"Come, sit here" Granny went to Regina and guided her to a chair.

"No, I'm fine, I just ... I just want to go home... I" Regina said moving away from the two women. Regina was confused and desperate to hide herself. She had lost control of herself.

"Regina, but you aren't fine!" Granny said.

"I'll go home with you, Regina!" Ruby offered.

"No!" Regina almost cried. "I'm fine, I already said I'm fine" Regina said turning and walking toward the street.

"I said! You will always be the Evil Queen!" Sidney shouted still lying on the ground.

"Shut up, Sidney!" Ruby shouted at him, looking worried at Regina who simply stopped, looked sad at Sidney and walked away.

"You're not allowed to come here, Sidney!" Granny said staring angry.

"You cannot take her side, she will never change" he yelled.

"I already told you to shut up!" Ruby shouted a little louder.

"She is already changing, you idiot! She is much better than you will ever be!" Granny yelled.

"Now go away, because if you come back here or if I know you are still disturbing Regina, I cannot and I will not blame myself if the wolf visits you any of these nights" Ruby said and entered the restaurant with Granny, closing the door behind them.

Granny ended things in the restaurant and went home about an hour later. Ruby got to finish cleaning the restaurant and get some things for the next morning. It was late, at this time the city was already deserted and now heavy rain falls on Storybrooke.

Ruby got into her red car and drove toward Granny's bed and breakfast. The rain was getting very strong and the night was getting cold. She was passing through the street when she saw someone sitting on one of the benches in the dark square. She couldn't identify who it was from where she was, because the rain was very strong and was a little dark. She lowered the headlights of the car, drove closer and squinted to identify the figure sitting in the rain. It was Regina.

Ruby grabbed an umbrella that was inside the car and ran to the bench where the woman was sitting idly, crying.

"Regina? Regina, what are you doing in the rain? Let's get out of here!" Ruby said running near her, but the woman didn't move.

"Regina?" Ruby kept calling the woman, who was crying. Ruby realized that the woman was totally drenched and shivering from the cold, but she seemed not to have noticed the presence of Ruby.

"Regina, what happened? Aren't you feeling well? Why are you crying?" Ruby asked approaching the woman and touching her shoulder.

Regina jumped briefly when Ruby touched her, only then she realized the presence of another woman.

"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Regina said sniffling a bit.

"I asked you, Regina. Let's get out of this rain, it's freezing out here!" Ruby says holding the umbrella over Regina, but the brunette went back to looking forward, as if nothing had happened.

"Regina!" Ruby shouted to bring her attention back.

"You think I would hurt Henry?" Regina simply asked with a much softer tone as a lump formed in her throat.

Only then Ruby understood what it was.

"No! Never!" Ruby replied quickly. "How long have you been here, Regina?" Ruby said still holding the umbrella over them.

"You think I would hurt my daughters?" Regina ignored woman's question.

"Regina..." Ruby gave up on holding the umbrella over Regina, putting it on the floor. "You would never hurt your children, I'm sure of it!"

Regina looked at her, looking for a sign of lying in her eyes, but she couldn't find it. She turned to look ahead and Ruby could see that the tears are streaming down again on Regina's face and her lips were trembling. That woman was a different woman and Ruby realized that.

"You should not care what Sidney says" Ruby began "He just wants to find a culprit for the shit that is his life" Ruby said with a soft smile.

"He knows me, Ruby!" Regina said crying even more.

"Well, maybe! But the woman you are now is very different from the woman you were"

"I'm the Evil Queen. I can't change that!" She said tearfully.

"I think you've changed it" Ruby smiled.

A moment of silence settled between them, a silence that was not unpleasant.

"Why are you helping me?" Regina asked, turning her head to look at the woman who was now sitting beside her.

Ruby thought a moment and replied "Because, for many people, you created a terrible curse and it will be hard to forgive, but for 28 years I haven't turned wolf and didn't kill anyone. You saved me, even thinking you were doing a bad thing, you saved me from who I was."

Regina looked at her and began to cry again. _Damn hormones._

"I don't know how to handle them. I never had a mother who loved me. I will not know how to be a good mother for them" Regina cried.

"Of course you will know. You were the best mother that Henry could have."

"Henry is a boy and my relationship with my father was totally different from my relationship with my mother. I will not know how to take care of them..."

"It is silly, Regina, you care about them and that's all you need for now."

"Henry hates me!" Regina whispered staring at the floor. "Sidney's right, he's just glad that he will have two sisters, but he also hates me and they will hate me. I cannot stand it again, Ruby."

Ruby felt the need to comfort the woman, saying that nothing would happen that way.

"That's not true, Regina. Henry loves you!" Ruby said, taking the woman's hand and giving it a slight squeeze until she looked at her. "And these girls will love you just the same, no matter who you were, what matters now is who you are becoming."

Regina was shivering from the cold and her clothes were soaked. She was looking at Ruby and could feel affection and concern emanating from her eyes.

"I'm afraid" Regina said so low that Ruby had to strain to hear.

"Afraid of what?"

"Of going back to being the Evil Queen, I don't want to be her anymore. I'm so tired" Regina said crying. "I'm afraid of hurting my children. Today, with Sidney, I couldn't control myself, I felt I needed to kill him."

"You were only protecting your girls." Ruby said, smiling. "And I think if you want, you will never be the Evil Queen anymore. You've changed! I'm not even afraid of you..." She said, trying to joke.

"No?"

"No!"

The two were sitting quietly in the rain for a few more minutes. Ruby saw when Regina made a brief grin and rubbed her belly gently.

"Are they kicking?" Ruby said with a curious smile.

"Yes, I think Lillian's awake!" She said smiling.

"Lillian?" Ruby said. She still didn't know they already had names. "Can I feel?" Ruby asked a little afraid.

Regina thought a moment and replied with a nod "I guess so" she said, taking the other woman's hand and placing it where hers felt the movements "The movements are still very soft, but they are very strong at night" Regina said smiling.

"I see, she's really moving in there" Ruby said with a huge smile when she felt the movements in her hand. They were indeed soft, but she could still feel them.

"Regina, I think that we should get out of this rain, I'm dying of cold and you're shivering. How long have you been here?" Ruby asked seriously staring at Regina's eyes.

"I don't know, I think since before the rain started" said Regina thinking.

"Well, that means a long time. This is not good for you and much less for these little ones. Come on, I'll take you, you didn't come by car, huh?" Ruby said, noting that the mayor's car wasn't nearby.

"No." Regina nodded her head and took Ruby's hand to help her up.

"Where's Perdita?"

"She's with Henry. He insisted to stay with her today."

Ruby took Regina home and made sure to leave only after the woman changed her wet clothes and prepared for sleep, she couldn't risk the woman catching a cold or something like that.

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**So? ****In the next, I promisse you that Regina and Archie are going to have a beautiful moment. I have something prepared to Regina and Snow. I feel like Snow isn't too present in my story and I want to correct it!**

**Thank you for reading until here!**

**See you in the next and I'll try to not delay too much!**

**Bárbara**


	17. Chapter 17 - Party

**Hi guys! Here is the chapter 17 and I hope you like. Many people asked me for more Regina and Archie cute moments and I can't, I have to hear my lovely followers and do this for them. So, I hope you like this chapter as much as I liked write and read. I loved this and I loved the end of this chapter.**

**To Marina Masterson; My friend, you was the first to review my last chapter... thank you! You said that you missed Snow, so, here you'll see her. I also think Regina and Ruby could be amazing friends. See you, I'm missing you and I'm taking care of your little fishes. Sometimes I just want to kill them, but no. sorry!**

**To Ailec-12; Hey, in this chapter you'll get more of the two relationships, Snow and Archie. I have to say, I LOVED THIS CHAPTER AND I LOVED REGINA AND ARCHIE IN THIS END. Seriously. I need your help. Can you say some music that remind you about Regina and Archie? I neeed a beatiful music to them...**

**To Beforethedawnbreaks; I hope so! I'm glad you liked. Thank you!**

**To Mirella Vieira; Thank you, I hope this is going to be more and more nice and beautiful *-***

**To Itspb1; Oh, Thank you so much! Here is more of Archie and Regina, please enjoy!**

**To JolieQueen5; Thank you for your amazing reviews. I love the way that you review me, seriously! Thank you! They having cute moments isn't really too much! I need more!**

**To Ana Paula; I hope you liked this chapter... I think you'll love this. Ana, I can't make a story where only Regina and Archie appear, seriously!**

**To Gotapenname; Me too! Regina and Archie being a couple would be amazing! Thank you for your review. Thank you for your support on tumblr too! See you.**

**To Annie, Thank you, really!**

**So, go read it. Enjoy!**

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CHAPTER 17 – THE PARTY

A few days had passed since the night that Ruby found Regina in the rain. Their relationship had been improving considerably and Ruby occasionally defended the woman from some city residents.

Emma and David spent almost all the mornings with Regina. She taught various spells to Emma and with the magic sword protected, David was helping a lot in Emma's training.

After some time, watching, Emma realized that Regina's magic was changing. Emma didn't know if she was getting really good on doing this or if Regina was "taking it easy" with her, but every passing day, it was getting easier to challenge Regina using magic.

David developed an unexpected friendship with Regina. He even dared to make jokes with her and often he even received jokes in exchange. Who could imagine that Regina had a sense of humor? Besides training Emma, he was learning many moves to defend himself against magic, Regina was teaching them. Over time, David became a strong ally and Regina knew she could count on his help, even though she knew most of the heavy lifting would be Emma.

Regina was feeling a lot of changes in her body, but she also noticed some changes in her magic. She couldn't tell what it was, but seemed to weaken every day and she was afraid of it. Without her magic she couldn't defend herself from her mother, although she thought no need to do that anymore. Without her magic, she cannot defend herself against some citizens who are still mad at her and she cannot protect her babies. That was terrorizing her, but she never told this to anyone.

Mary Margaret and Regina's relationship had no great progress, but at least they could support themselves in the same room without saying something unnecessary. Mary Margaret even ventured to ask Regina how she was or how the girls were doing and Regina answered calmly. Mary Margaret never fully forgave her for the things that Regina did, but she can try to support the woman. Mary looks at Regina and can see the woman she met many years ago. The woman who Snow wanted as a mother. The woman who she once wanted to be like.

Regina was completing the 20th week of pregnancy. The movements of the twins were now more perceptive, although they still like to stay awake at night, they were much more active during the day.

This week was Snow's birthday, the first one which would actually be celebrated in Storybrooke, since they didn't celebrate their birthdays before. Everyone was preparing a big party, like a ball.

On the morning of the too much expected event, Regina, David and Emma were training and talking about the party. Regina was determined not to go, but had to accept after Henry, Emma, Archie, Ruby and David almost begged for her to go. They wanted her there because they perceived that Regina was really changing. It would be good to have her there with everyone. The townspeople had to see the change they were seeing.

Even Snow wanted her to be there. Not to upset her, but somehow Regina was part of the family now, she had always been. In a few months, they would have two more of her running around town and she didn't want anyone doing justice with their own hands, not against Regina and much less against the girls who were coming into the world. Regina was the only option they had to save the city against a real monster. Cora.

Regina and Henry were getting ready to go to the party. In fact, Henry was ready for more than one hour, but not Regina. He was getting tired of waiting. His mother used to take long getting ready, but now that she was pregnant, she was a little slower and took even more time. Archie insisted that he would get them at home, if it depended on him, Regina wouldn't be driving anymore, but she was very stubborn.

Archie arrived a few minutes earlier than the agreed time and was greeted at the door by Henry.

"Hi Archie, Hi Pongo!" Henry greeted.

"Hi, Henry, why such a face?" Archie asked noting the bored face that Henry was doing.

"Mom takes too long to get ready, I've been ready for more than an hour and she is up there, still getting ready, we'll be late if she doesn't hurry."

Archie laughed at the boy as he entered and sat on the couch. "Henry, you need to have a little more patience, Regina will not come down until she is flawless and you know it." he said smiling "And she's pregnant and huge." he said whispering the last word "She cannot do things as fast as before."

"I know, but still, we'll be late!"

"We will not, we're still within the agreed time." Archie said observing the interaction between Pongo and Perdita.

"They'll be here?" Henry asked pointing to the dogs.

"We cannot take them to the party, Henry. They will be too much work. Do you think they can stay here without destroying the house?" Archie asked jokingly.

"Of course, Perdita is very quiet and so is Pongo, they can stay here until we get back, I think." The boy said looking at the stairs.

A few minutes later, Archie decided it was time for Henry to go call his mother. Henry went upstairs and a few minutes later the two appeared on top of it.

Regina was stunning. She was wearing a navy blue dress that went to her feet. A red band, passing just above her belly, was enhancing her swollen breasts. Her hair had some soft curls and her lips generally as red as blood, were with a more softer color. Regina was holding Henry's arms and leaning on the stairs as she descended slowly.

Archie was speechless. Regina definitely would be the most beautiful woman at the party and he was taking her.

"Regina, you are... are so beautiful!" Archie said stammering a bit as he got up from the couch and went upstairs to help her.

"Thank you, Archie!" Regina said with a beautiful smile leaving Henry's arms and taking Archie's. "You're also beautiful." she said smiling at him, who blushed at her words.

Henry was just watching. He didn't understand why the two of them were not "dating" or something like that. They were going to have children and it was obvious that both of them liked each other.

"Come on, Mom, we'll be late!" Henry said.

"Henry, I cannot go running around." Regina said to the boy, walking as fast as a pregnant woman could walk toward the door. "Henry?" Regina called when she reached the door.

"Yes, mom?" The boy asked when he was almost getting in the car.

"I left the gift up there, could you get it for me? It's on top of my dresser." Regina asked when she saw the boy nod and run to the stairs.

"A gift?" Archie asked curiously.

"Of course, I couldn't go to a birthday party and not bring a gift, right?" Regina said smiling at him.

"Yes, you're right. What is it?"

"What's what?"

"The gift that you'll give to Snow."

"Secret!" Regina said smiling when she saw the disappointed face that Archie did. Henry soon came running down the stairs with a small package in his hands.

"Now can we go?" The boy asked eagerly.

"We can!" Regina said stroking Pongo and Perdita who sat swinging their tails at the entrance of Regina's mansion. "See you soon, dogs!" She said and locked the door.

Archie led Regina to the car and opened the door for her to enter. Henry was sitting behind.

When they arrived at the party, Henry went running and greeting a few people who were outside the party site. Archie helped Regina out of the car and Regina could see that everyone was looking at her suspiciously. Many people in the city were beginning to accept Regina as a person who wanted to change, but there were still many people who didn't believe in her change.

Archie noticed Regina had some slight discomfort and shook her hand gently supporting her and giving her a big smile. He pulled her into the ballroom.

The place was gorgeous. The decor was full of flowers and birds and resembled a garden. It was packed with people and it was almost possible to believe that the whole town was there. Snow was dancing with Charming in the middle of the hall and there were a few other couples dancing too. Henry had gone to talk to Emma, who was wearing a red dress. It was strange to Regina and to any other to see Emma dressed like that, but Emma was beautiful and everyone realized that.

When Archie and Regina walked a little more toward some chairs, Regina realized that a hush fell over the place and everyone was looking at her. Some curious, others scared and fearful, others wondering what the Evil Queen had planned to do at Snow White's birthday party.

"I shouldn't have come, Archie!" Regina whispered to Archie as she stepped forward and involuntarily stayed behind him. She was holding his arms more tightly and hadn't noticed it. What was she doing here? She shouldn't have come.

"Don't worry about them, Regina." Archie said shaking her hand.

"Let's go, Archie? Please, they don't want me here, they're scared." she whispered again with a pleading look.

"No! We're not going away. They will learn not to be afraid of you." Archie said firmly pulling Regina to a table over in the back of the hall.

Emma witnessed when Archie and Regina entered the hall and noticed that everyone was staring at her. Emma also realized that Regina was pleading with Archie to leave, so she went over to talk to them.

"Regina!" Emma said approaching the table where she was. "I think I just won a bet, you came!" She said smiling at the woman.

Regina looked puzzled to Emma and then to Archie. "Why do people love betting about me and I don't even know about it?"

"I think that's because it's fun to see your face!" Emma joked.

Granny, Ruby and Dr. Whale were also greeting Regina. The party was not as boring as Regina thought it would be. Regina wanted to give her gift to Snow, but she didn't know what would be the right time.

After many dances, some jokes, after singing congratulations to Snow and then opening some of her gifts, the guests returned to their individual amusement. Charming went to Regina.

"You came! I'm very happy!" He said cheerfully. Regina had to admit that '_Charming_' well fit this man, he had developed a friendship and respect for Regina and she was grateful to him for that.

"Charming." Regina greeted.

After a few minutes, Regina noted that Snow was talking with Emma alone in a corner of the party. She didn't want to derail the conversation, plus this was the first time that Regina saw the opportunity to deliver her gift to Snow.

Regina approached the women and could feel the change in Snow's face when she saw her. It wasn't a bad change, just an insecurity that Regina was sure, would never leave.

"Snow, can I... can I talk to you for a minute?" Regina asked.

"Of course, Regina." Snow nodded and turned away from Emma, who watched the women from afar.

Everyone present noticed that Regina approached Snow. Not only was it Emma who stopped to watch. Henry, Charming, Archie and Ruby were also watching the scene.

"I just... I just wanted to congratulate you and to give you this gift." Regina said a little shaky, handing the delicate and small package that was in her hands.

"Thank you, Regina. What is it?" Snow asked curiously, containing a willingness to embrace Regina.

"Open it." It was all that Regina said.

Snow nodded looking into Regina's eyes and then turned her attention to the package. She opened it and could not control the tears that began to fill hers eyes. Inside the package was a beautiful gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a snowflake, made with pieces of gold and diamonds.

"You know what it is?" Regina said watching Snow's reaction. Regina did not know that answer. Snow looked into her eyes and wrapped her in a tight hug. Everyone watched astonished. No one could see what Regina's gift was, but without doubt, it had been the best gift that Snow had received. Regina was not moving. She didn't move one millimeter because of fear of losing that contact that she never knew, but had missed.

"Thank you, Regina!" Snow whispered in her ear, still crying and hugging. Regina didn't answer, she was very focused trying not to cry in front of everyone.

After almost a minute, Snow finally released her and looked at Regina into her eyes.

"It was the best gift anyone could have given me, Regina! I can never thank you enough for that." she said.

"It was always yours. I should have given you this before, I'm sorry!"

"Thanks for having kept it, I thought I would never see it again."

The necklace once belonged to Snow's mother. Snow always knew it was a family heirloom, a gift that her mother would give her when she became an adult, but her mother died and when the King married Regina, he gave the necklace to Regina.

"Thank you, Regina." Snow emphasized once more.

"You're welcome!" Regina smiled at Snow.

The women were interrupted by Henry who came wanting to see the gift that his mother had given to his grandmother. It was not long until many people were already circling Snow again and Regina decided to return to her seat.

The night passed quickly. Soon many people were dancing.

Regina was watching Emma and Henry dance. Emma was much taller than Henry, but the boy looked like a true knight, Regina thought.

"Do you want to dance?" Archie took Regina from her thoughts.

"No, Archie." Regina said with a shy smile.

"What? Don't tell me that the Queen is embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed, Archie. I just... I... I'm just too tired."

"You're lying. I can't wait to tell everyone that the Queen is embarrassed to dance at a ball." Archie said, laughing.

"I'm not embarrassed."

"So what? You don't know how to dance?"

"What? I was a Queen, of course I know how to dance. I dance very well." Regina was ready to defend herself.

"Then show me. C'mon, Regina! You cannot dance so badly, can you?"

"Absolutely not!" Regina said, narrowing her eyes and staring at Archie as she stood up and walked with him to the dance floor.

Archie placed one of his arms gently around Regina's waist and the other was holding one of her hands. He pulled her close to him, as close as a pregnant woman's belly of five months with twins could allow. Regina put one of her hands on Archie's shoulder.

They danced a few songs in this way. Regina was getting tired. They were so busy dancing that neither realized that a romantic song began to play. Regina leaned her head on Archie's chest and Archie could smell the scent that came from Regina. Both had their eyes closed.

Few people remained on the dance floor, a few couples like David and Snow, Kathryn and Frederick and Thomas and Cinderella.

Everyone who was sitting was looking at Regina and Archie dancing. They were so distracted dancing with each other that they did not notice the changes around them, like music and people leaving the dance floor. People could see Regina resting against Archie's chest, the two dancing slowly with a small smile gracing their lips and the tranquility and complicity that only true love can bring.

"Mom likes him!" Henry whispered to Emma.

"Yeah, she likes him, she is just too stubborn to admit it!"

After thinking a while, Henry turned to Emma and she could see the excitement in the boy's eyes.

"I have an idea. We have to join the two of them" Henry said taking care that no one heard.

"Kid, we shouldn't get in it."

"But they love each other, just look. You don't think Archie loves mom?" Henry frowned.

"Of course he loves her." Emma said quickly.

"So? We should start an operation. We need a name."

"How about Operation Cupid?" Emma asked amused by the idea of her son.

"No! That is very obvious. We need a different name." Henry said and suddenly the two were thinking about names, as they watched the couple dancing.

"How about Operation Amor?" Emma said.

"Amor? What is 'Amor'?" Henry asked confused.

"Amor means love in Portuguese." Emma explained.

"That's wonderful, no one will ever know." Henry said smiling.

"So it will be called 'Operation Amor'" Emma said and both continued watching the couples on the dance floor. Henry was already getting sleepy and occasionally Emma found him yawning.

Archie and Regina were still dancing when one of the babies kicked. Regina opened her eyes and met Archie's, who was smiling happily at her.

"She's awake." Archie commented removing one of the hands that were on the back of Regina and placing it where the girl had just kicked.

"It's Isabella. She is very stirred up today." Regina said rubbing her belly.

The place was a bit dark and they hadn't realized that they were one of the only couples still dancing. They continued dancing a while longer. Regina was still resting her head on Archie's chest along with her hands and Archie was holding her closer to him. For some time, Archie's heartbeat was all Regina could hear and was somehow reassuring. She could almost feel like falling asleep sometimes.

They were still dancing, when Archie felt that Regina's body suddenly became heavier on him. He opened his eyes frightened and looked at her with her eyes still closed.

"Regina?" He said, tightening his arms around her to keep her upright. "Are you okay?" He said as soon as he saw her open her eyes.

"I'm fine." she said quickly, recovering from the momentary feeling of tiredness.

"You seemed like you were about to faint." He said looking at her still worried.

"No. I almost fell asleep, I think." She said quietly, smiling at him as he smiled back. "I'm tired. Can we sit down?" She asked softly.

Both walked toward the table when Emma ran toward them.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired." She replied, sitting up.

Regina spent some time sitting while watching Henry chatting happily with everyone at the party. Archie and Emma were also talking and Snow and David were still dancing.

Regina was rubbing her belly, as the two girls seemed to be awake and wouldn't stop kicking.

"They are awake?" Henry said as he approached his mother.

"They always are awake at night" Regina rolled her eyes and smiled at Henry.

Both spent a few minutes enjoying the babies' movements. Regina could already tell that they were much more active when Henry was around or when he touched his lips on her belly and when he was playing with his sisters.

Seeing that Regina was really tired and sleepy, Archie approached and suggested to go home. Henry would go along with them and if not for a special occasion, Henry would never be awake so late.

Regina, Archie and Henry said goodbye and went to the car.

Henry was telling them about all the excitement of the party and Snow's gifts. After some time, Archie and Henry were so distracted that neither realized that Regina had fallen asleep.

Both lowered their voice so as not to wake her. Arriving at the house, they spent some time deciding if they would wake her or not. _First step for Operation Amor,_ Henry thought and convinced Archie not to wake her, saying she must be very tired, which was not a lie.

Archie asked for Henry's help to go open the doors while carrying Regina carefully in his arms. He entered her room and Henry pulled the covers of the bed so he could put her there.

"Henry, get ready to go to sleep, you can let me finish here ok!" Archie whispered to the boy and watched as he nodded and closed the door, leaving the two alone.

He put Regina on the bed and removed her shoes. He felt as if he could stay the whole night just staring at her. She was so calm in her sleep. He pulled the blanket and covered her and held his breath when he saw her moving in an attempt to snuggle herself better. When he saw that she didn't wake up, he returned to cover her. A smile escaped his lips as he ran his hands on her belly and felt the movement.

"My girls, you should be sleeping. Mommy is really tired" he whispered.

After a while, the girls calmed down. He got up to leave. He looked at Regina and pulled some hair back that was in her face.

"Good Night, Regina!" He whispered in her ears. Then he kissed her forehead softly "I love you." He said and turned off the light in the room, closing the door behind him.

Unfortunately, Archie wasn't in the room long enough to hear Regina talking in her sleep "I love you too, Archie."

* * *

**I'm dying to know your opinions... what you think?**

**A tense moment and a little scare is coming in the next chapter, but don't worry.**

**Guys, I need your help, I'm mean seriously! Can you help me to choice a music for Regina and Archie? I need one... HELP ME!**

**See you soon, I hope.**

**Bárbara**


	18. Chapter 18 - The Prophecy

**Hey folks! The chapter 18 is up! I loved writing this chapter and I really hope you all like this. This chapter is going to bring more sense for you and you'll see why I chose Regina to be pregnant with twins... and a little scare is coming.**

**Today, before let you all read this chapter, I want to congratulate my big friend, reader and "parceira". Her name is Nara Marina (or Marina Masterson if you want to know) and she had a birthday last Saturday so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET, I LOVE YOU. God bless you much more.**

**To Beforethedawnbreaks; Thank you for your review and you'll see that... I'm not telling you this (YET).**

**To Guest 1; Ownn *-* "this was better than a kiss, but Archie should have listened Regina ):" I think the same. I loved your review and I'm sad because you don't said me your name :/ Please, let me know your name in the last.**

**To Mirella Vieria; Me too, I love reading fanfics where Regina is pregnant. Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my story. Have fun.**

**To Ailec-12; haha"she still remains for four months" POOR REGINA haha I have so much thought to her and her pregnancy haha I loved all of your musics and I also liked "cabecita loca". I think I'm going to choose more then one music... I received so many sugestions.**

**To Guest 2; I have something prepared to Regina and her mother, Cora. I don't forgot her... and Regina's magic is... (hum... I'm not telling you (yet)) haha**

**To JolieQueen5; How can I thank you? I love every single review that you leave to me, seriously. They are so careful and lovely. Keep writing. I appreciate every review. Thank you so much!**

**To Ana Paula; Owwwn migs, Thank you for your review! I'm trying to write what you want, but it has been difficult HAHA Keep reading... see you! Lov u! Hey, I also loved your idea, I don't know if I'm going to choose your music buuut... I'm kidding!**

**To singingtree54; Thank you. This was my favorite chapter too, but there's a chapter coming and I have to say, you'll love it, seriously! Thank you thank you. I'm glad you think I have great ideas. If you wanna to share some with me, I would love to hear them...**

**To Gotapenname; Haha Thank you and thank you for your support on tumblr. Lov seeing you there. Hey, thank you for your musics opinions. Keep reading. See you!**

**To Anarra; Thank you, sweet! I'm glad you liked it.**

**To Casa Circe; Hey, I have no words to thank you. I read every single review you left me and I LOVED THEM ALL. I corrected the errors that you told me but I know there are still a lot of them, but really thank you for reading until here. Thank you for giving me the chance, for giving to my story a chance. Seriously. Thank you so much. I appreciate every single amazing word and review you left me and the opinions are great! Thank you! See ya.**

**To Nara Marina; what can I say? I was waiting your review so I could post this chapter. I have to say, even when we have a little fights, I love you. You're an amazing friend and I don't wanna lose your friendship. Happy Birthday, be happy! I love you so much. Thank you for your review! Keep reading.**

**To Annie; Thank you for everythink. I know you're busy all the time and still, you get some time to me. Thank you! I received your opinion and I'll look for it.**

**To Taila; Um desafio lançado é um desafio aceito, minha amiga. Confio em você com isso. O que acha? See you, sweet!**

**You're amazing, guys! I loved the effect that the last chapter had and it was thanks to you! Lov you, readers.**

**So, go read it. Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 18 – THE PROPHECY

Regina and Henry continued to have nightmares and they were becoming more frequent. Regina continued to visit Cora, sometimes she visited her mother two or three times a week. Cora was proving to be a much better mother than she had been in years. Their relationship was growing and every day Regina loved her mother even more.

Belle and Mr. Gold were snacking when Belle finally said "Rumple, I'm so happy with you, you've really changed. You're even helping Emma and Regina" she said cheerfully.

"There is something I never told anyone about Regina, Belle."

"What's that?" Belle asked confused.

"There is a prophecy that the real battle between the Good and Evil will take place between two witches. Although Emma is the Savior, Regina is the real weapon between good and evil. When I met Cora, I realized that the woman had potential for the evil. She was my best student, she was willing to do anything to achieve power. And she did." Mr. Gold continued talking as he watched Belle's watchful eyes. "When Cora was pregnant, I could feel the power coming from her baby. When a witch has a daughter, that daughter is born with magic and her mother's magic becomes even more powerful than before. I knew Cora was expecting a girl, because power flowed from her. When a witch is pregnant with a boy, this boy doesn't gain power, only the women of the family."

Belle interrupted the man. "Why are you telling me this?"

Mr. Gold glanced at his beloved and continued "This prophecy also says that from the witch's belly that will destroy evil will be born twins, two girls, too powerful. When I heard this prophecy, I knew instantly that Cora's baby was that witch, Regina. We made a deal, but Cora broke it and stayed with Regina. After Regina was born, Cora became the most powerful witch I ever met until now. When I'm near Regina, I can feel the power that comes from her and I can tell you, Belle, I never felt so much power coming from only one person."

"Does Regina already know about it?" Belle asked curiously.

"No! I thought no one knew, but when I saw Cora attacking Regina in the mine, I realized that Cora already knew about this prophecy and will make sure she doesn't think twice before killing Regina's daughters, if she knows that Regina is expecting two girls." Mr. Gold said.

"So we should tell Regina, don't you think?" Belle asked confused.

"No!" Mr. Gold almost cried. "She can't know that because the prophecy says that she will have to find the power to destroy Cora within herself and by herself. If I tell her, she'll not find this power, she may even believe, but there'll be no power in her, not the needed power to destroy evil."

"This is crazy." Belle said still trying to understand all the things she had just heard.

"I know it's confusing to you, but believe me, Regina will need to figure it out alone and it cannot be now. We have to expect this until these girls are born."

"So you already knew she was pregnant with two girls?"

"Not at first, just when I found out about the twins."

Then they finished eating and Belle went to the library.

* * *

Regina, Emma and David continued training every morning. Regina began to realize that apart from Emma getting more powerful, her magic was fading with time. She was getting scared. She didn't know why it was happening, but she continued to train in the hope of recovering her magic, but it wasn't happening.

Emma noticed a few weeks ago that there was something wrong with Regina's magic. She never had the opportunity to ask because David was always around, but she could feel Regina's magic getting weaker every day.

Regina used magic only when she was training with Emma and it was true that she didn't want to use it, but now that she realized that she was losing her magic, she was terrified because without it she couldn't protect herself or protect her babies. With the curse broken, many people were still angry with her and wanted revenge and she couldn't risk her children's lives. Magic was the only way to protect her and she knew that many people didn't try to hurt her because of their fear of her magic.

David was trying to attack Emma as she and Regina tried to deflect his blows. Regina was watching the spells that Emma was casting when David turned suddenly and threw his sword towards Regina.

Everything happened so fast. Regina saw the sword being thrown in her direction. She smiled, raised her hand and mentally cast a spell to block the sword. To her surprise nothing happened. She was helpless. Their eyes widened in horror when they saw the sword suddenly stop inches away from her belly and fall to the ground.

Emma dodged an attack from David and watched as he threw the sword towards Regina. She watched as Regina wasn't taken by surprise and raised her hand. She was horrified when nothing happened and the sword continued its way. She had no time to think. She raised her hand toward the sword and closed her eyes and then she opened in time to see the sword, which was now frozen, falling to the ground a few inches away from Regina's belly.

David and Emma let out a relieved sigh, but Regina was still holding her breath and with wide eyes.

"Regina, I'm sorry, please, I didn't do it on purpose!" David said running to the woman who was a few feet away.

"Regina, what happened?" Emma said running to her.

Regina didn't answer. Her magic had failed and if it wasn't for Emma she probably would be dead. She stood there staring at nothing.

"Regina, tell me, are you okay?" David said, holding her cold and trembling hands.

"What happened? Why did the sword not stop?" Emma said almost shouting to get attention from the woman.

As if coming out of a trance, Regina took a fright.

"I... I'm fine... I..." she stammered, trying to speak, but was interrupted by Emma.

"You're not fine! Are you crazy? He almost hit you!" Emma shouted to the woman.

"I didn't do it on purpose, I'm so sorry, Regina!" David quickly apologized still worried about her.

"I'm okay, Miss Swan." Regina tried to say in a voice more serious than she could, but seemed shaky even to her own ears. "And I know you didn't do it on purpose, David. I don't know what happened, I think I was distracted." Regina said trying to hide the real reason. Her magic had failed.

David looked at her a little suspicious, but still worried. Emma, however, looked into her eyes and could see that she was not telling the truth.

They decided to stop the workout and David went to the police station, even against his own will.

Emma decided to stay. She had noticed the difference in Regina's magic in recent months, but this? She could have died. They should talk about it and Emma knew Regina was hiding something. Emma saw that Regina had lied when she said she was distracted. **Lie.**

"Regina, we need to talk." Emma said as she followed Regina who was walking toward her car.

"About what?" Regina frowned.

"How about that? You could have died today! Something is happening and you will tell me what it is!" Emma said starting to get irritated.

"I told you, Miss Swan. I got distracted!"

"Lie! You're lying!" Emma shouted.

Regina looked a little irritated and then started to walk again toward her car.

Emma ran to the woman and grabbed her arm.

"I'm talking to you, Regina."

"I heard and I said what happened. Let me go!" Regina shouted as she pulled her arm away from Emma's grip.

"You're lying, Regina, and you know that I know when someone is lying. What happened?"

"I have said. Enough talking." Regina said and turned her way.

"Your magic is weakening, isn't it?" Emma asked suddenly.

Regina stopped and held her breath for a few seconds without looking back.

"That's it, isn't it? You think I didn't notice?" Emma asked again.

Regina turned slowly and found Emma's worried eyes.

"Why haven't you said anything before, Regina?"

"Because even I don't know what is happening." Regina said throwing both hands in the air. "I realized some time ago. I thought it had something to do with my pregnancy and I thought that was just changing my magic, but it isn't." Regina continued, speaking lower now. "It's fading. I'm losing my magic and today... I... it... simply didn't work."

"We can fix that, Regina." Emma said softly "We can talk to Mr. Gold, he should know why is this happen-"

"You're crazy!" Regina shouted. "No one can know that, no one! Many people in this town hate me, they haven't tried to kill me yet because they fear me, if they know I'm losing my magic, they wouldn't think twice, they would kill me and I'm not risking my babies' lives."

"But Regina-"

"No buts! This conversation is over." Regina said and got into her car, leaving behind a speechless Emma.

Unfortunately, neither of the two women noticed a shadow that hid behind a tree. The person saw and heard everything that happened that morning.

Emma learned to respect Regina and even developed a fondness for the woman, but she often hated the attitudes of the brunette. Regina was stubborn and self-sufficient and Emma hated when the woman acted alone.

Emma wouldn't give up on this conversation so easily. She waited all day and when she finished her shift at the police station, Emma made her way to City Hall where she knew Regina would still be.

After talking with the secretary and being sent away by the same woman on Regina's orders, Emma became angry and walked into Regina's office.

"I told you to leave!" Regina shouted from her desk when she saw Emma slamming the door behind her.

"I don't care what you said. We will finish our conversation" Emma said walking toward the seats in front of Regina.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Swan. We have nothing to talk about."

"Don't give me that 'Miss Swan' thing, Regina!" Emma almost shouted angrily.

"Enough!" Regina clapped her hands on the table and stood up, grabbing her purse and coat and headed toward the door. "I don't have to sit here, listening to you."

"Ah, but you will hear me out." Emma said pulling her arm. "You listen to me, because we're in this together. You are teaching me and I have never complained, because I trust you. Then this happened this morning and you're acting like it's the end of the world. We will think of a plan. Now you'll sit there and we'll talk." Emma shouted as she faced the woman and pulled her to sit on the couch.

Regina let out an exalted and angry breath when Emma pushed her to the couch. As much as Regina was strong, Emma was much more. She sat down, crossed her arms over her belly and looked the other way, ignoring Emma in a slightly childish way.

"You can be angry as much as you want." Emma said looking at the woman sitting beside her.

"Uh-huh" Regina nodded angrily.

"Okay, good! Now let's talk like civilized people."

"I don't know how this conversation can be considered civilized. You are forcing me to stay here!" Regina turned slightly to face Emma with anger.

"See, you've even started talking." Emma tried a sarcastic joke and watched as Regina snorted angrily and rolled her eyes, which made Emma laugh softly. "You think it will go away?"

Regina gave a confused look to Emma.

"Magic!" Emma explained "You think your magic will disappear completely?"

"I don't know." Regina shrugged and then dropped, showing her weariness.

"You think it's because of them? I mean, maybe this is happening because you're pregnant, I don't-"

"No! It is not related to my pregnancy. Witches never lose their power during pregnancy. I don't know any witch who lost her power..." Regina said.

"Okay, you're doing something different? Maybe eating something or drinking something, I don't know-"

"No!" Regina said as if Emma was asking the silliest questions in the world "Nobody loses power because they ate or drank something different, Miss Swan."

"Okay, so you don't think we can trust Mr. Gold? I mean, he also has much to lose if you lose your power, without you we cannot defeat Cora."

"I don't believe in it, Emma. You are extremely powerful and he knows it and... I don't... I don't want anyone to know about this, please." Regina said and Emma could see how vulnerable Regina was.

"Ok, I will not tell anybody, nobody needs to know, ok? We'll find a way, I promise!" Emma said with a tranquilizing smile.

"Don't make promises you cannot fulfill."

"I don't!"

A silence settled between them, but it was soon broken by Emma.

"You mean I'm free of drills in the morning?" Emma said with a huge smile to Regina.

"Not at all, Miss Swan. I haven't lost my magic and I won't liberate you. Our classes will continue as normal, even without magic I'm able to continue teaching you." Regina said quickly. Emma just rolled her eyes.

"Okay, no problem. I'm very good with magic." Emma said.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Regina looked at her and both fell into a laugh.

After a while, Regina's phone rang. Archie was wondering what she was doing, how she was feeling and what time she would leave. Regina answered every question and then they hung up, a smile graced her lips. Emma noticed. _'Operation Amor'_ occurred to Emma.

Emma smiled at Regina, who quickly hid her smile.

"You love him." Emma said gazing at her own mobile.

"What? What are you talking about?" Regina was blindsided.

"Archie, you love him!"

"No, I... I don't love him..."

"Admit it, Regina. Come on, isn't that hard." Emma smiled cheerfully.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You say I'm stubborn, when in fact, the adjective best applies to you."

"I'm not stubborn." Emma said crossing her arms.

An amused chuckle escaped Regina's lips, surprising her.

"Sure." Regina said smiling. Suddenly a huge affection that now she felt for Emma, surfaced.

"Tell me something." Emma asked. "You were afraid of losing Henry?"

"I still am." Regina admitting with a softer voice.

"What about Archie? You keep trying to push him away and seem angry with him, when indeed it seems that you are afraid to lose him. That's why this game of cat and mouse exists between you two."

Regina frowned. The feeling of tenderness aroused by Emma quickly faded, giving way to anger. "Emma." growled Regina, but Emma just laughed aloud.

"Your anger towards me confirms that I'm right." said Emma.

"I hate you!" Regina screamed so childish.

"You don't hate me" Emma said, still smiling. "You like me, Evil Queen."

Regina sobbed.

"I like you too." said Emma and Regina's face contorted in pain lines.

"You like the Evil Queen?" Regina said huskily. "It's stupid!"

"Maybe." Emma admitted. "But I like this Regina that I am getting to know."

A spark of hope which shone in Regina's eyes confirmed to Emma that part of her mission had been accomplished.

"Now I must go." Emma said walking toward the door. "I have to go pick up Henry who is staying with a friend. In fact... do you want to stay with him tomorrow? Something tells me he will not complain." she whispered in confidence.

Regina let out another laugh. Emma walked over to where Regina was and gave her a quick hug, then bent down and kissed her belly, whispering a "get well, girls."

Then Emma went toward the door.

"E-Emma..." Regina said uncertainly.

Emma turned and, when she faced Regina, her face lit up when she identified the sentiment stamped in her eyes. "Don't worry, I will not tell anyone about our conversation and I'll keep you on your feet, whether you like it or not." she said emphasizing the last sentence. Basically, they both knew that Regina would like that.

When Regina started to say something, Emma interrupted, saying with a smile: "I care about you, Regina."

Regina frowned and again opened her mouth, starting to speak. Again, Emma interrupted "Don't worry." Emma said rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to tell Archie that you love him. You will..." Regina rolled her eyes also "very soon. And don't argue with me." Emma exclaimed when Regina opened her mouth again.

Regina smiled, a feeling of warmth returning to wrap her completely and lighting her features.

* * *

**That is it! What you think? Regina and Emma as friends. I would love to see that happening on the show!**

**The next will be fluffy! More Archie and Regina, of course.**

**Thank you for reading until here!**

**See you in the next!**

**xoxo,**

**Bárbara**


	19. Chapter 19 - Monopoly

**Hey everybody, here is the chapter 19 and I really hope you like this... It's nice and funny at the same time. You ask me for more Regina and Archie interactions an****d I have to hear you, so here is it.**

**To Ana Paula; Thank you so much my dear friend, seriously. I couldn't write this stories without your opinions and encouragement. Thank you SO MUCH SO MUCH for being this nice, lovely, amazing and beautiful friend. I love you and I'm the only one who is proud. Proud for being your friend, for having you as my friend.**

**To Marina Masterson; "****I knew, i knew there was an interesting story behind this "disappearance" of Regina's magic" You don't know the half, seriously! We all missed Archie and Regina in the last chapter, but I think that this one can be enought to you. See you! Thank you for reading, seriously! And I missed Lais reading this...**

**To itspb1; Thank you! Haha I couldn't imagine that the guest were you! Thank you for introduce yourself haha Annnnnnd the prophecy? I promisse I'm doing my best to not disappoint you. See you.**

**To Ailec; Haha, my dear reader. I'm so glad you always like my chapters, seriously! You're with me since the first chapter and I can't, I love it and I love you as my reader, THANK YOU SO MUCH, Ailec, seriously!**

**To Casa Circe; I loved your thought about Regina's magic and MAYBE you're going to guess right or maybe not, I'm not telling you, not now! You asked me for more Regina and Archie scenes, so here is it... enjoy! and Let me know what you think! See you and Thank you.**

**To a critic; So, here is the thing. I totaly respect your opinions, seriously, but I think you could be a little more educated. I changed the dialogue thing because I agree with you but seriously? You really needed to use "Looks stupid" or "looks lazy"? And one more thing, this story is totaly mine. I think I can do whatever I want and how I want with the characters, seriously. I don't know if you came until here, but if you did, be nice in the next. I really appreciate your opinions and I would like to hear much more, but not like this crude and rude.**

**To Annie; THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! You help me so much and I already said it, I always say it but it's the truth, I couldn't do this without you. Thank you! I'm so lucky for having someone like you as my beta.**

**Thank you, everyone who read it, who followed me and favorited my story. Thank you guys.**

**Please, Enjoy it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 19 – MONOPOLY

Regina had just woken up from another nightmare. She was already tired of it. She could count on one hand the nights that she had slept peacefully, because when she didn't have nightmares, generally, Henry called her because of his own nightmares.

She could barely stay at home during the early morning. She always ended up going out for a walk or she was in Cora's cell or yet, was going to Archie's home.

That night, she decided to go to Archie's home. She knocked on the door and waited a few minutes until Archie appeared at the door with messy hair and scarred pillow face.

"Regina? What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!" Archie asked confused when he focused on Regina.

She didn't answer, just went into the room and made her way to the couch. Archie closed the door and stared at Regina, confused.

"Are you okay?" He asked grimacing, still sleepy.

"I'm fine, just couldn't sleep, so I came here!" She said raising her shoulders.

"You came alone? In the middle of the night?" He said starting to get annoyed.

"No, I came with Perdita." Regina smiled at him.

"No, Regina, you know what I mean. You could have called me. I would have gone to your house." He said.

"I know... I just didn't want to stay there, so I came here..."

"How did you get here?"

"By car, of course." Regina replied frowning.

"Regina, I already told you I don't want you driving, it's dangerous for you and for them." Archie began and Regina just looked up. "When you cannot sleep, you can call me and I'll come to you, and if you don't want to stay home, then I'll get you, I told you so."

"I know, Archie. And I'm sorry, but I will not be stuck indoors just because I'm pregnant. I'm not sick."

Archie knew it was hard to argue with Regina. She has always been an independent woman and never accepted the opinion of others very well.

Archie sighed. "You're not sleepy, are you?" He asked, looking at her with tired eyes.

"No." she sighed. "But you can go back to sleep if you want. I'll stay here with Pongo and Perdita, I will not disturb you, I promise."

"Of course, I'm not going back to sleep, Regina." Archie rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. "So we can have hot chocolate, we can watch a movie or we can play Monopoly." He said looking at Regina with a small smile on his face.

"Really? Monopoly?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Henry left it here last week..." He smiled.

"So I'd love hot chocolate and I can kick your ass at Monopoly, I'm very good at this game, really." Regina said getting up and walking to the kitchen.

"We'll see about that, Henry lost to me all day!"

"But it is very easy to beat him." said Regina, bragging a little.

Archie began preparing the hot chocolates, but Regina has offered to finish them while Archie was arranging for them to play the game. Regina finished preparing the hot chocolates and sat on the couch. Archie had placed a table and a chair for him.

"Regina, you cannot buy everything, you have to negotiate with me!" Archie said.

"I'm not going to negotiate with you, Archie. There is no point insisting." Regina said taking the last sip of her hot chocolate.

"But Regina, you're going to have to sell that lot, I'll give you this in return." Archie said raising the letter in his hand so Regina could see it.

"No!"

"I'm going to lose, you don't know how to negotiate." Archie said looking at his cards.

Regina let out a guffaw sigh. They had already played more than an hour and she was definitely giving him a beating. There was no way for him to win. She was wrapped in a comforter that Archie picked for her and her head was resting on a stack of pillows, as well as her spine.

"Play fast, Archie!" Regina said yawning.

"I'll lose, the next six houses are all yours and I don't have money to pay you... it's not fair!" He said thoughtfully.

"I said I was very good at this game." she replied with a laugh.

"Of course, I swapped my best cards with you and you don't want to negotiate with me!" He said pretending to be upset. Regina just could laugh.

"Game is game!"

"I give up." Archie began and was interrupted by a shout of joy from Regina.

"Yuuup! I said I was the best at this game." she shouted, throwing her hands up in joy and letting a yawn escape her lips again.

"Okay!" Archie said getting up and starting to save the game. "Let's straighten out this mess, and then I'll wash the dishes."

"I'll fix up here while you wash." Regina offered.

Archie nodded and went to wash the dishes. He returned a few minutes later only to find the saved game on the table and Regina asleep on the couch.

"Regina?" He whispered, pushing a few strands of hair that were on her forehead and putting it behind the ear. "Regina?" He whispered again, shaking her gently.

"Huh?" She just muttered because she was too tired to open her eyes.

"Let's go, I'll take you to bed, you cannot sleep here on the couch." Archie said trying to wake her, but all he got in response was another weary sigh. He realized she had fallen asleep and wouldn't get up from the couch for nothing. He took her in his arms and carried her to his bed. He put the blanket over her and kissed her forehead. He cannot help but notice her tired appearance.

He turned off the light and closed the door behind him, then pulled the blanket she was using before and laid down on the couch.

The next morning, Archie awoke and headed to his room to check on Regina, she was still asleep, and he decided to let her sleep and go make breakfast for them.

Regina heard the noise of pots and smell the scent of eggs. She slowly opened her eyes and was confused for a moment. She didn't know where she was. After a few seconds, she took a look around her, she realized she was in Archie's bedroom, on his bed, in the place where it all started.

She stood up, sighing at the sudden need to pee. After she made her way to the kitchen, she felt a sigh of relief pass through her mouth when she saw the pillows and blanket on the sofa, indicating that Archie had slept there. She wasn't afraid or anything like that, but she was really happy that he respected her and her space.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Archie said when he noticed Regina entering the kitchen, one hand rubbing her tired eyes and the other on her belly.

"Good morning, Archie." Regina said as she yawned.

"I think we have to change your character from the Evil Queen to Sleeping Beauty." He said smiling, stirring the pot. She smiled.

"What time is it? I think I overslept."

"It's almost 9 am." He said.

"What?" Regina said, her eyes widening. "My God, Archie. You should have woken me earlier. I'm late." She said, running to grab her coat and her purse.

"You're not late, Regina."

"You don't know Emma. She'll spend the entire day pestering me because I came late." Regina said as she struggled to put her shoes on. This little work was getting really hard for her.

Archie turned off the stove and walked toward Regina, who was already coming in the door.

"I said you're not late. I texted Emma earlier, saying you'll arrive later today." He ran his hands on her shoulders and led her back to the kitchen. "That means you have time to sit and have a decent breakfast and then I'll let you say that the breakfast was wonderful."

Regina sighed and Archie helped her remove her coat.

They took a leisurely breakfast and Regina almost could not hide the pleasure she was having with her breakfast. It was funny, because that was a totally different woman from the Evil Queen. She was just Regina.

After eating, Regina got up to leave. She ran to the door and Perdita was already ready beside her.

Archie opened the door for her and was surprised by Regina, who gave him a kiss on his cheek and whispered "Thank you, Archie. It was delicious."

"You're welcome, Regina. And don't forget, we'll leave after lunch to buy the remaining stuff for the girls' bedroom." he said smiling at her, who was almost around the corner from the apartments.

"I couldn't forget!" She smiled happily and disappeared.

* * *

Regina went to the stables and entered, walking as fast as possible. Soon she saw Emma and David practicing.

"I see you started without me." she said approaching the two.

"Regina." David was surprised by the woman's voice and turned around.

"Archie told us that you were going to be late, so I decided to go training with David." Emma explained. "You know, I have to impress my teacher." she said winking at David who laughed while looking at the face of grief that Regina had.

"Always with the jokes..." Regina tried to look serious as ever, but today she was in a terribly good mood.

"And you always laugh about it." Emma said.

"Okay, shall we begin?" David interrupted. He had to admit, the woman in front of him was completely different from the woman he met before. She was softer, still very serious and bossy in many things, but she was fun. It was easy to deal with this new woman and he had to admit, he liked her.

It was almost lunch time when they finished training. Regina looked anxiously at the clock and couldn't hide the joy that was taking control of her features.

"So?" Emma said approaching Regina, enjoying that David was putting some things in the car.

"So what?" Regina asked confused.

"You will not tell me why you're so happy?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you're dying to tell me, I can see it in your eyes." Emma challenged.

"You're a very convinced lady." Regina said shaking her head.

"C'mon, what is it?"

"It's nothing, Miss Swan."

"I can be very annoying when I want to know something, you know?" Emma raised an eyebrow at Regina.

"Yeah, I know!" Regina looked up and sighed, letting a huge smile take over her face "We're buying some things that are missing for the girls' bedroom today." Regina said.

"Really? That is wonderful!" Emma smiled back.

Regina could not contain the joy that came over her at that moment. Emma looked really happy for her. There was no lie or interest, like everything in her life.

"I was thinking about picking up Henry. He can have lunch with me and Archie and then we would go to the store. He wouldn't want to miss it." Regina smiled at the thought.

"On one condition"

"What?" Regina looked at her curiously.

"I have lunch with you today."

Regina thought for a moment and then smiled at Emma, not a big smile, but a sincere smile.

"Okay, But it will be soon, because I'm starving." Regina said walking towards the car and waving a hand to emphasize the last sentence.

Emma laughed at Regina and followed her.

They got Henry and met Archie at Granny's. They all lunched quietly. The whole conversation revolved around Emma's training and the twins.

After lunch, Emma said goodbye and the three others went shopping.

* * *

**So, what you think? In the next we'll have so much fun (I really hope so). You'll see them shopping the babies' things.**

**Thank you all for read until here.**

**Please, leave me an review and let me know what you thought.**

**Go ahead and FOLLOW this story!**

**See you,**

**Bárbara**


	20. Chapter 20 - I shouldn't have done that

**Hey guys, here is the chapter 20 and I'm so sorry for the delay, but I really hope that this chapter is going to be worth of it.**

**This chapter is so flufly and I'm so happy, I loved write this chapter and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed.**

**To Marina Masterson; Owwwwwwn *-* I think this review is the best I received from you, seriously. I loved *-* "I know, deep down, Regina is not all bad. And I think Archie does this, it "touches" the good in her. Anyway, they're very cute together! Like when he said: "I think we have to change your character from the Evil Queen to Sleeping Beauty" * - * He makes her smile, I can see that scene. I'll stop here I'm already in a overdose of cuteness." I know you love her, I know nara! and yes, that was my intention... make you guys enter in a overdose of cuteness. Thank you for reviewing me...**

**To Ailec-12; Yep, here is the next chapter and I really hope you like it... let me know what you think ;) see you!**

**To Mirella Vieira; Haha Thank you... I'm so glad you like this much my story... Thank you so much!**

**To Ana Paula; Thank you migs ;) You're an amazing friend too, I'm so lucky for having you as friend. Thanks God! haha Hey, now you can review me with your account haha Thank you for followed and favorited me ;) see you. Heey, I think you'll like this chapter... I'm almost sure!**

**To Jolie Queen5; Hey, I missed you... THANK YOU for your amazing and incredible reviews. You always point my favorite lines in each chapter. See you. Hope you like...**

**To itspb1; Thank you so much! Thank you for reviewing me and let me know what you think ok? I hope you like this chapter...**

**To Annie; Thank you so much my beta... You're amazing, seriously! When you give me some opinion and write "only if u want to change", it's obvious that I'm going to change! Thank you!**

**So, Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 20 - "I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT"

"Mom! They need these dolls in their room." Henry said excitedly, pointing to two dolls that were in the shop window.

"It's beautiful." Archie said.

Regina walked to where the two were and smiled as she saw the dolls. "I like them, they are really beautiful."

"We can buy them?" Henry asked excitedly.

"I think so, but we have to look at other things that are still missing." Regina said as she entered the store dragging the two behind her.

The two looked at each other and rolled their eyes, sighing wearily and after, falling into a soft laugh.

"There's no point in rolling your eyes." Regina said.

Once Regina was out of reach, Archie turned to Henry and whispered "It will be like when she chose the color of the room and the cribs."

"Absolutely!" Henry smiled, recalling the moment.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

_"Why can't we paint it all purple?" Henry asked wearily._

_"Because it will stay nice. Let's paint it white." Regina said._

_"But all white, Regina? They are girls, shouldn't they have things pink, purple or whatever color in their room?" Archie asked, not understanding anything about decor._

_"Yes, so we can paint it purple." Henry spoke again._

_"Let's paint it pink, I like pink."_

_They looked at Regina seeming confused._

_"What?" She asked, frowning._

_"Do you like pink?" Archie asked, still staring._

_"Yes, why?"_

_"I thought you liked purple!" Henry was the first to admit._

_"Why?" she asked._

_"Because when you do magic, it's purple, so I thought-" Henry began to explain, but was cut off by Regina's laugh._

_"Really? I can't believe you thought that. Henry, my magic isn't purple because it's my favorite color." She said still laughing._

_"No?" The boy asked confused._

_"No." She smiled at him._

_"And why did you like to wear purple when you were Queen?" Archie said._

_"I don't know." She said and looked thoughtful, after a few seconds she spoke again "But I really like pink, we can paint it pink and white." she offered._

_"It'll be cool." Archie was the first to speak._

_"I still prefer purple." Henry pouted._

_Regina won again. When the subject are her girls, her opinion was all that really mattered. Henry and Archie ended up agreeing with everything she wanted._

_A week later._

_"Archie, the cribs, the armchair and sofa arrived. Do you want to come here while they're assembling the furniture?" Regina asked Archie._

_"I'm coming." was all Archie said before running excitedly toward the door of his office._

_After a long afternoon of assembling, the cribs were finally ready and were mounted in its place. The smell of paint coming from the room still lingered, though it was much less than days ago._

_After the assemblers were gone, Archie and Regina could sit to finally admire the new room._

_The room was great. It was next to Regina's room and across from Henry's room._

_It was entirely modeled to receive the newborns. The walls were covered with white paint and the top of the walls were decorated with pink wallpaper with little hearts in a darker shade of pink along its entire length._

_The cribs were placed in a corner, opposite of the windows of the room. It was white, but all the details of mattresses and pillows were pink. A beautiful lamp illuminated the entire room. A white cabinet was placed in one corner of the room, but was still empty, except for one or two gentle teddy bears that were placed on them._

_A chair was placed next to the windows. It was white and covered with a delicate pink blanket. In the opposite corner was placed a kind of sofa made from a white hardwood, as well as the cribs, it contained pillows in various shades of pink, and white and red cushions. Three puffs were arranged around the room._

_"You were right, Regina. It's wonderful." said Archie while he was admiring the room._

_"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She smiled at him._

_"Yes, it's perfect, although I think Henry still prefers the purple color to them, he still hasn't overcome the idea that you like pink." Archie said smiling at her._

_"He'll love it. This room reminds me of Henry's bedroom when he was a baby, but he had an incredible fascination for the color green." She said sitting on the couch and stroked her rounded belly._

_"I think they are going to have pink as their favorite color." He smiled at her and sat beside her. "Right, girls?" He said, stooping down to the level of Regina's belly and placed a kiss on her belly._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

* * *

By late afternoon, Regina, Archie and Henry had bought more than necessary. Regina knew that and tried to control as much as she could, but it was hard when Archie or Henry appeared showing something new. A new outfit, a different decoration for the room, hats in animal shapes.

Henry particularly loved the twins section and wanted to take everything. He found shirts like "_Ctrl + C_" and "_Ctrl + V_" or "_Thing 1_" and "_Thing 2_" and did not stop bugging about them until they bought it. Regina had to admit it wasn't easy to resist so many fun things for twins.

Archie was acting worse than Henry. All he saw that was pink, he wanted to buy. Anything with animals distracts him. He stopped when he saw some clothes that he didn't believe could exist. There was a green cap, with little eyes of a cricket and two little antennas. He couldn't contain himself and ran to Regina.

"This is my favorite, we're buying this no matter what you say." He said coming close to Regina and extending the cap so she could see.

"That's amazing!" Henry came running when he saw what Archie was holding. "They will look like a cricket, like you, Archie!" The boy said excitedly.

"I don't want my daughters looking like a cricket." Regina grimaced and replied.

"Just because they are not only yours, this is my gift to them, I'll buy them!" Archie said excited as he put the cap in the cart.

Regina snorted and continued what she was doing. She was the only adult today and she was taking care of two children, Archie and Henry. Wait. Four children. Archie, Henry and her two girls, who were more agitated than ever today.

They walked to the car, carrying bags and more shopping bags. They went to Archie's office to pick up Pongo and Perdita and then they went to Regina's home. Once there, they ran upstairs with their shopping bags for the girls' room and started putting everything in its proper place. The room was totally ready for the girls' arrival, although it was still more than three months before this happened.

After all is done, Archie and Henry were hungry. They turned to ask if Regina was hungry, but they found her asleep on the couch in the girls' bedroom, with a change of clothes folded beside her. The two laughed. Regina had never sleep a lot, but this pregnancy was imposing a new sleep rhythm on her.

She easily fell asleep and they could count the different places where she had just fallen asleep. Archie decided to let her sleep and asked Henry to go prepare something to eat.

"Mom sleeps everywhere now." Henry said.

"I know..." Archie said with a smile. "Come on, help me make something for your mom to eat, she must be starving."

"Okay, she really must be."

The two prepared dinner and Archie climbed the stairs toward the new room to wake Regina, while Henry set the table.

"Regina?" Archie called, gently rocking her shoulders.

"Huh?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Henry and I prepared dinner, let's go eat."

Regina sighed and picked up momentum to get up from her lying position. Then, Archie reached out to help her get up from the couch, she gladly accepted.

They descended the stairs and the table was already set. After eating, they were all tired. They spent the whole day walking and shopping, it was tiring, but very fun.

Once they finished dinner, Regina told Henry to get ready for bed. He obeyed. Henry ran up to Archie and hugged him, whispering "Goodnight, Archie." then he went to his mother and hugged her "Good night, mom." then kissed her belly and said "Good night, girls."

After washing the dishes and tidied the kitchen, Archie decided to leave. He and Pongo were at the entrance of the mansion preparing to leave. Regina was leaning against the door looking for them.

"So I think it's my time." Archie said with a smile. He didn't want to leave, he wanted to be able to stay and chat. Be able to sit with Regina and talk about their babies and talk with them. But he also knew that it wouldn't happen.

"Thank you, Archie! I enjoyed myself today." Regina smiled at him.

"You're welcome, Regina. I also enjoyed myself today." He smiled and lowered himself to the level of her belly "Good night, my loves. I'll see you tomorrow." and kissed Regina's belly.

Archie turned to Regina and gave her a smile "Good Night, Regina." then he approached her face and gave a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Regina shuddered gently with Archie's voice so close to her and then, when he kissed her cheek, she was inundated by the desire to kiss him.

When he pulled away, she lifted one of her hands and began stroking his face gently. He looked at her a little confused, but she didn't remove her hand from his face. She looked into his eyes and put her lips to his. Both were lost, savoring the lips of each other. Archie placed one of his hands at Regina's nape, running a finger gently on her ear and he placed the other hand on her back, pulling her closer to him. Regina groaned with the proximity of their bodies. The kiss was broken by Regina, by the need for air. Only then what she had just done came to her mind and she felt totally embarrassed and exposed.

She slowly pulled her lips from his and rested her head on his chest, moving her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. They stayed that way for a few more seconds, both were still breathing quickly. Regina was lost momentarily in the sound of Archie's heartbeat and in the accelerated motion of the back-and-forth that his chest was doing. She shook her head slowly and turned to face his eyes.

"Archie." she whispered, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." she said, still shaking her head.

An inexplicable sadness filled Archie's heart at the sound of her words. He felt as if his heart had been broken. This kiss, it all seemed so right for him. He knew he shouldn't expect anything more from her, but he couldn't control his desires when he was with her.

"Alright, Regina... I-" He replied, trying to hide the sadness that has not gone unnoticed in Regina's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Archie. I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry." she cut.

"Alright, Regina, I said its okay." He said pulling his arms. "I should go... good night!" He looked down, avoiding contact with her eyes and walked away.

"Good night." Regina said as she watched the man walking toward the gate.

She closed the door and sighed. What got into her? Why did she kiss Archie like that? She shouldn't have done that, it was not right. But why did she feel so good? Why did she feel good whenever he was around? Why would she want to do it again? Why did she want to kiss him again and continue to be in his arms?

She turned off the lights, went upstairs, checked whether Henry was asleep and made her way to her bedroom. She was determined to not think about that kiss. _This shouldn't have happened,_ she decided. But her last thought before falling asleep was the flavor of Archie's lips.

Once Henry heard the sound of the bedroom door of his mother, he rose from the bed and grabbed his phone to send a message with the news to Emma.

_"Update - Operation Amor: Mom and Archie kissed today. G'night. -H."_

Emma was watching TV when she heard the beep of her cell, indicating that she had received a message. As she read the message, she could contain the smile that appeared on her lips. She did not know why she was so happy, but she was.

_"They did it in front of you? -E."_

_"No, I was hidden. She kissed him when he was leaving. -H."_

_"Ok, kid. Our operation is paying off. Now, it's late. Go to sleep. G'night! -E."_

_"G'night, Mom!"_

Emma would take advantage of this information to "torture" Regina the following morning.

* * *

**What you think? Let me know...**

**I swear the next will be funny, seriously!**

**Please, leave me reviews and let me know what you thought about this chapter.**

**Go head and FOLLOW this story and (if it is worth of it) FAVORITE, please? *-***

**See you,**

**Bárbara**


	21. Chapter 21 - Car Trouble

**Hey everybody! The chapter 21 is here and I wanna to say that it is a little funny and at the end... it will be... wait! I'm not telling you, go ahead and read!**

**Some people asked me about Cora and here is the thing, I swear I don't forgot her but I want to do some things before... She'll have her moment! Just wait.**

**To Beforethedawnbreaks; "Man! I wonder why more people don't like this pairing." Oh man, me too! Why? Now. all I have is this fanfiction since Archie isn't in the boat :/ my poor heart, my poor ship.**

**To Mirella Vieira; Me too! I love her in this way and I would love to see her like this on the show. How about it happening in season 6 maybe? ;)**

**To JolieQueen5; Thank you for your precious reviews! You always point my favorite parts :)**

**To singingtree54; haha Thank you so much! Really. It's wonderful to hear this, seriously. Thnx so much!**

**To Ailec-12; haha Thank you, that is something we don't agree, finally! Now I can keep writing without think you're reading my story before I post it... Pink! kkk LOL :) See you sweet *-***

**To anapcmesquita; I can't write just romance... we all need adventure and drama :) buuuuut, you'll get what you want in this one, I'm sure! I need your review soon as you read it. I need to know what you thought.**

**To Marina Masterson; "You know, why you don't change to romance/family? That's a great idea haha" I don't want to do this... Really. Although you already know to where this story is going to... poor Regina :/ "Henry is so gossipy" Yep, he really is! "And as I always have access to information from "reliable sources" I don't know what you are talking about, really! Annnnnd thank you for the biggest review you gave me!**

**To itspb1; "Regina:WHY DID YOU SAY THAT? Like Archie's heart,i'm broken.I hope that Emma torture you so much." OMG Poor Regina hahahaha and about Cora? don't worry, I don't forgot her... she's just waiting for... ops, I'm not telling you! haha Wait! And thank you so much for folowing and favorited me:) I'm so grateful! Thank you.**

**To Annie; Thank you, my beta :) Sorry for boring you with my story! haha Thank you :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 21 – CAR TROUBLE

Regina and Archie were arguing if Regina could continue to drive her car or not. He was more than annoyed with her and ended up saying that she was very independent, that she liked to do everything by herself and never wanted anyone's help.

Regina, meanwhile, was upset with each word that Archie had said. _Who does he think he is? I'm not sick and I can still drive my car_. _He wants me to call him any time I want to leave home? That will not happen, I'm an independent woman. I don't need anyone carrying me._

Regina knew that Archie wasn't so wrong when he told her to stop driving the car, but she always drove carefully and now more than ever. It was a fact that every day was harder to get in and out of her car and there were still more than three months for the girls arrive. She would need a bigger car, definitely.

Two days later, Henry was in Archie's office when Emma went to pick him up. They were talking when Archie's phone rang. Archie was astonished when he saw it was Regina who was calling. She was so mad at him. She never would back down in her opinion and call him, unless something had happened.

"Regina?" Archie answered the phone.

"It's me, I need to ask you a favor!" Regina said in a tearful voice.

"Anything but first, listen to me. I guess I wasn't very fair to you that day-" Archie began to speak, but he heard Regina sniffling. "Hey, are you okay? Are you crying?"

Regina sniffed again. "No! I'm not crying." She said a little irritated.

"So what? What favor do you need?"

Henry and Emma were silently watching Archie's conversation.

"You have to promise not to laugh." she said on the phone.

"Laugh? What has happened?" He asked starting to get curious.

"Promise!"

"I promise." He said with a smile.

"And you have to promise me you will not be saying 'I told you so'."

He paused for a moment and imagined a thousand funny things that could have forced Regina to be ashamed.

"I promise!" Henry and Emma heard Archie say and then only heard when Archie yelled "What? Where?" and ran toward the door.

Henry and Emma looked worried and ran behind Archie, thinking that something had happened to Regina.

"Archie?" Emma was able to reach him when he was about to leave the building. She sighed and then asked "What is happening?"

Only then, he realized he had forgotten everything, including an explanation for the two.

"Sorry, Emma." He breathed. "It's just... Regina, she is-" He stopped and looked into Emma and Henry in the eyes. "You promise me you will not tell Regina that I told you?"

"I promise!" They both answered in unison.

"She is trapped in the car and can't get out." he said a little worried.

"What?" Emma and Henry shouted at the same time. Archie could see where Henry had inherited every detail of his facial expressions.

"Where is she?" Henry asked with wide eyes.

It took a little more than a few minutes for the three to have the first sight of the mayor's black Mercedes. Archie got out of Emma's yellow car and ran toward the black car.

"Regina? Regina?" Archie shouted as he approached the car.

"I'm here, Archie." Regina said, putting her arm out of the car to signaling that she was there.

He opened the car door while Emma and Henry approached. He glanced at Regina, which appeared to have been crying.

"Oh, my God! Are you hurt?" He asked, exasperated breathing.

"I'm just... stuck." she replied from inside the vehicle. "Just get me out of here."

"Okay." he replied as he passed one of his hands by her waist and helped her out of the car. "You sure you're okay?" He asked again, still worried.

"I am." she replied and Henry ran to hug her.

Only then she realized that Emma and Henry were there watching the scene. She wrapped her arms around Henry. Then she looked at Archie and punched his arm.

"Ouch!" He looked confused and yelled, rubbing the spot where Regina had hit.

"It's impossible for you to keep your mouth shut!"

"They were with me, Regina, would you want me to leave running without saying something?" He said.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked, moving away from Regina enough to look her in the eyes.

"Yes." she replied.

"They are fine?" Archie asked looking at Regina.

"Yes."

"Ok, Regina. I'm sorry... so sorry... about before and also by pressing you." Archie began to speak, so Henry came out Regina's arms.

She shook her head, knowing she was partly wrong. "No, Archie. I'm sorry that sometimes I don't care what you say, I'm sorry."

She said and threw herself into his arms, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her, not caring who was watching.

Emma and Henry watched silently when Regina threw herself into Archie's arms. Both burst into laughter when Emma gave a slight push on Henry's shoulders, winking at him and telling him, silently, to go to the car.

Regina walked away and found Henry a few feet away talking to Emma, who surprisingly hadn't said anything.

Emma took Henry home and Archie took Regina. On the way to the mansion Archie couldn't help himself and had to comment.

"How did you get stuck in the car?" He asked, trying to hide his smile.

"I don't know, I'm so huge that I couldn't even get out of the car, I thin-" she replied absently.

"I should have taken a picture, you should have seen your face!" He answered and couldn't control his laughter.

"It wasn't funny!" She looked at him seriously.

"Well, it was a bit funny, you have to admit."

She just snorted irritably and turned her face to the window of the car.

Once they arrived at the mansion, Archie got out and ran to help her down. She refused the help and did it, with much effort, but she managed. _Stubborn_, Archie thought with a huge smile.

Archie gave the car keys to her, they said goodbye and he left.

* * *

It was around 2 am. Regina had one more of these nightmares and she couldn't go back to sleep. She was exhausted, but every time she closed her eyes, the images of her last suffocating nightmare invaded her mind and the tears fell again. She had already spent over an hour rolling in bed.

Tired, she got up, put on some clothes, grabbed her coat and put the leash on Perdita. She could not stand to stay in the house alone.

She left the house and walked toward her car. She gave up the idea of driving as she remembered what happened just a few hours ago. _Whale says that walking is very important, so let's walk._ Regina sat in the square and let herself be carried away by tears. That nightmare, like others, had frightened her. After a few minutes she had a strong feeling that someone was watching her.

A little afraid, she decided to go to the only place she knew she would not feel alone. Archie's. He was probably asleep, but Archie had begun to get used to Regina appearing at his door during the early morning.

_I should have called him before_, she thought and reached her hand into the pocket of her coat, to try to find her phone. _Damn_. She had forgotten her phone at home. She walked a little faster and after a few minutes she stood in Archie's doorway. Before knocking on the door, she wiped her face in an attempt to hide her red and swollen eyes from crying.

After a minute or two, there was Archie. With tired eyes, he tried to adjust his glasses only to find Regina on the other side of the door. Once he could see Regina properly, he realized that she was crying.

"Regina? What happened? Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Archie began asking a lot of questions, looking extremely worried.

Regina's only reaction was to hug him. She ran her hands around him and held him tightly, as if he were going to take her pain away, her fears. She was acting like a silly child, who clings easily to people and allow them to see her weaknesses. That was exactly what her mother would say if she saw this scene. The personification of weakness. No matter, Regina just wanted to feel safe and loved like she was feeling now, in Archie's arms. This feeling made her start crying again.

"Regina, you need to tell me what happened, why are you crying?" Archie asked again when he felt the woman in his arms sobbing.

She did not move and he just let her cry a little more. After a while, she pulled away from him a bit and he closed the door behind him, looking worried.

"So? What is that?" He wanted to get an answer.

"It's nothing, Archie!" She tried her best to smile, but could not fool him. "I think it's those damn hormones and I'm so tired but I can't sleep." She immediately tried to change the subject. She did not need Archie worrying about her nightmares.

"You appear in the middle of the night, alone, with red swollen eyes and you tell me that it's just your hormones? Sorry, Regina, but I don't believe you." he said a little more seriously.

"You may not believe me, but it is what it is." She said quickly. As soon as she saw the disappointed look that Archie gave her, she backtracked. "Sorry, Archie, I just... I don't wanna talk about it." She told him and gave him a saddened look "Please?"

He nodded. He wanted to know what it was. Something was bothering her, but she did not tell him. He thought to insist again, but he did not want to upset her.

"So? What will we do today?" Archie asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that settled between them.

Regina smiled at him.

"I don't know, Archie. Can we watch a movie?" She asked.

He nodded and walked to the bedroom to get blankets and pillows. He also took some films for her to choose from.

Archie was sitting on the couch with Regina right beside him. She had her legs on a puff and beneath her back were some pillows. A blanket was involving the two. They were so close to each other. They liked that feeling, although not admitting this to anyone.

It was over half an hour that the film had started and Regina was getting sleepy. Occasionally, she yawned and opened her eyes suddenly, only to realize that she had fallen asleep on Archie's shoulder. When she was almost asleep, their girls decided to wake up.

Regina began massaging her belly while Archie totally forgot the film and turned his full attention to her. They were so busy as usual in the evening. Regina just wanted to get some sleep, but she knew, now that the girls had awakened, it would be difficult to sleep again. It was so almost every night.

"Isabella is calmer than Lillian, but when she wakes up first, it doesn't take much to also wake Lillian." Regina told Archie, knowing he was curious to know anything about them.

"Who is this?" He said putting his hand where he could feel some movement.

"This is Isabella." She smiled.

About twenty minutes later, Regina still could not calm them. They were just getting more agitated. Realizing that Regina was very tired, Archie put both hands on her belly, massaging it, and began to whisper.

"Hey, my little princesses, I see that you like to stay up late. We'll need to change that the moment that you are born." Archie began and Regina could not contain the smile that filled her mouth. "You have to let mom get some sleep." he said and looked smiling at Regina when he felt the movements toward his hand with a little more force. "That's right. It's me, your Dad!" He gave a few kisses on her belly as he continued whispering "I can't wait to meet you girls. You are our princesses. Now, you should go to sleep."

Archie did not take long to make the girls settle down. Archie's voice reassured them, Regina could feel it. When Henry spoke with the girls, they were much more active, but when Archie spoke, they stayed silent.

"How do you do that?" Regina said smiling at Archie.

"What?" he asked genuinely confused.

"That. They are so calm with you. Sometimes, I take the whole night to make them fall asleep and you only need a few minutes to talk with them and make them settle down and go back to sleep." she explained.

"I don't know... they like me." he said proudly, getting a smile from Regina.

A silence settled over them and Archie interrupted, feeling the need to talk about the fight they had a few days ago.

"Regina, I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for... about before and also by pressing you and..." Archie began to speak, turning fully to face her.

"Actually you were right, Archie..." Regina interrupted "I'm sorry for being so stubborn, it's just..." she breathed, but was cut off by Archie.

"No, Regina. I mean everything, the way I acted towards you. I know you would never do anything that might harm our daughters and I know you can protect yourself alone very well, better than I." Right now, Regina sighed. She hasn't told Archie about her magic, or rather the lack thereof. She was losing her magic with the days and only Emma knew that. If Archie knew about that, he would freak out. "Because you have magic... it's just that... I... I want our daughters to know that I'm not like my parentes." Regina looked at him extremely confused, but he continued "I just want them to know that I was a good father, who gave them a real home, that I really loved them and that I care about them." he said earnestly, a small tear fell from his eyes and Regina realized that.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" She looked at him a little more serious.

"I... I thought you wouldn't understand me."

She thought for a few seconds.

"And I think I don't understand. I know that you aren't equal to your parentes." she said seriously looking at him "you're lovable, educated and already care so much about them. You'll be the best father they could have, I'm sure of that." she said.

He spent some time repeating Regina's last words in his mind. _Damn!_ He had fallen in love with her, he fell in love with the mayor of Storybrooke, and he fell in love with the Evil Queen. _Wait!_ She was no longer the Evil Queen, she was just Regina, the mother of his daughters and he was madly in love with her. How didn't he realize this before? He wanted to have her in his arms, comfort her, kiss her, and love her. He wanted to raise her daughters with her every day. Then he realized he wanted to sleep beside her with her scent invading his nostrils.

Regina was staring at Archie. After she spoke, he just stared into her eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes, just looking beyond her. Regina knew he was thinking about something, but did not know what it was. She could spend hours looking at those green eyes ahead. His redhead eyebrows, his rosy lips. She wanted to memorize every line expression on his face. Both were lost in their thoughts. They did not know how much time had passed, but they could not break the connection that had been established between them.

Regina has one of her hands over his. He stroked her hand and they intertwined their fingers, wishing to never lose that precious contact. Then Regina's eyes returned to face Archie's. Not for a moment Archie had taken his eyes off Regina.

Slowly, he raised his hand that was not intertwined with Regina's fingers and with the back of his hand left his fingers running down her face that was smooth and soft. She shuddered at the touch. He was delicate, smooth, worried and she could almost say that love flowed through this touch. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel. Her breath was shaky. With eyes still closed, she felt Archie fingering her eyebrows, her closed eyes, her nose, her chin. An urge to cry came over her. She had never felt so loved as she was feeling now, not after Daniel. Archie continued with his fingers on Regina's face, as if trying to memorize every inch of her skin, each brand expression. Then he ran his fingers gently on her lips. A tear fell from her eyes still closed and made way across her cheek and was lost in the corner of the lips.

Archie was so involved in that moment that nothing could divert his attention. The softness of her skin, the delicacy of her features, her lips. He watched as a tear fell from her eyes and he knew what those tears meant. He felt the need to kiss her, to comfort her. Gently, he placed a kiss on her cheek, exactly where the tear had left its trail. She did not move. He dropped the hand that was intertwined with Regina's, and then wrapped her cheeks with his hands. She still had not moved. Gently, he moved closer to her and continued to stare at her. At that moment, more tears made their way down in her cheek. He went to kiss her tears, leaving a trail of passionate kisses, but extremely gentle, on her cheeks. After some time, he kissed the corner of her lips.

Feeling Regina's shaky breaths, he looked worried for a moment, but she was still with closed eyes. She had not moved since they had intertwined their fingers. He started stroking her face with his fingertips and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He stopped and closed his eyes. He could spend the whole night like this and he found that it was exactly what he wanted. Still feeling Archie's breath so close, she leaned over and kissed his lips. They did not need to do anything, the contact was enough to show the respect, care and beyond anything, what they expected, love.

The kiss lasted less than both wanted and needed, but the need for air was bigger. Both had their eyes closed and their foreheads were now glued. Shaky breaths. Tears. Joy.

"I know I shouldn't say it, but I love you..." Archie whispered and pressed a kiss on Regina's nose tip.

She said nothing. Archie was expecting it, but still was saddened. He knew he could not and should not expect anything in return from her.

When he had given up on hearing anything in exchange, she kissed him again. Another passionate kiss, soft, and delicate. And again, they were both lost in the taste of each other's lips. Regina broke the kiss and put her head on Archie's chest, listening to his heartbeat, relaxing from the up and down movement his chest was doing. Archie was there just savoring the smell of her hair and enjoying Regina in such proximity. He put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him and the other hand rested on her belly.

Thus, they were silent. After a few minutes, Regina's grip relaxed and Archie realized she had fallen aspleep in his arms. Not wanting to wake her, he turned off the TV and snuggled her. He wanted to protect and love her. He just wanted that moment to not end, ever. Thus, he too fell asleep.

* * *

**So guys, what you thought? The next will be a little dark :/ But yet beautiful.**

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**See you,**

**Bárbara**


	22. Chapter 22 - Just a Dream

**Hi, guys! First things first. I really feel I need to apologize for the delay in update this, but I couldn't do this before. I was super busy, and also my beta.**

**Second, Let's talk a little about Cora and the nightmares? I swear, I don't forgot Cora and I need you to be patient about it, it's going to come and I promise you, the wait will be worth. The nightmares, yes, it has a meaning, but you're not going to found out it now, and again, I promise... you will not see it coming, but when it does, I hope and I believe that you guys are going to be surprised...**

**To singingtree54; Thank you so much for your review... I'm so sorry for the delay, please, forgive me! Keep reading... see you!**

**To itspb1; OMG! Thank you for your support, seriously, it means a lot to me! I have to agree with you "The love between them is all that Regina needs". Ah, and you killed me with this "****I know that i'll read this everyday until the next" thank you so so much, you have no idea how encourager you have been to me. thank you.**

**To Beforethedawnbreaks; Thank you... hope you like this chapter too... :) see you!**

**To Ailec-12; Hey, how are you going, my favorite reader? You want to confuse my mind, don't you? I know you! hahaha Thank you so much for always let me know you're reading my story, it means a lot to me. The darker chapters are coming... wait for it! See you!**

**To CCangel; Yes, me too, but really, Regina is not that easy, isn't it? I think we are going to have a little more work to see Regina saying she loves him. What can I do? She is stubborn! See you!**

**To Mirella Vieira; Thank you so much, this chapter isn't so darker, but I promise that this kind of chapter is coming fast... See ya!**

**To Marina Masterson; I'm so happy I left you without words! What can I do? I'm a woman who fell in love so many times, so, it was easy to write the kiss scene in the last chapter HAHA LOL "he crying,she crying and kissing her?!" This part was really beautiful, isn't it? Yes, I know! "beautiful, exciting, fun and engaging" YEEEES! Hey, about you question... about how she manages to differentiate the twins? Through searches, I found that it is really common since when the mom already went to the hospital and saw the positions of the babies on the screen, she can feel them and she knows which is which. Do you understand me? See you! Thanks for reading this... and THE WAIT IS OVERR! OH GOD THANKS!**

**To Guest 1; Thank you so much! Please, in the next, let me know your name...**

**To anapcmesquita; I knew. Since I wrote this chapter I knew it was going to be your favorite chapter... You romantic young lady! "I****'m not a big Regina's fan but" NO BUTS, c'mom, You love her! "I just realized, right now, that I'm totaly unable of writing a story so perfectly like you" I don't think so. Unleash your imagination... I'm totally sure it will be so sweet that I'll have tooth decay. See you girl and thank you for being this friend you are! Thank you for not judging me! I love you and you know that!**

**To EvilRegalTwinnies; Hey, I'll look to your sugestion, it was a good one! Thank you for reading me, I'm also reading your story and you know I love it, don't you?**

**To Guest 2; haha, thank you so much!**

**To jcat30; WHoa, a boy? You must be really happy, don't you? Congratulations! I'm happy for you! Yep, of course I'm reading you story and I can't wait to read the next chapter, please... don't let me waiting too much :) see you!**

**To Swarnali; Thank you so much! really! "And I really hope this story goes on for at least 50 more chapters" I'm afraid that you are going to get it! haha you take care too, keep readng. Ah, heeey, I saw you are from India... I talked about you to my friends... I'm so honored to have you reading my story. Thank you, again.**

**To Annie; What can I say? You already know, I can't do this without you. Thank you!**

**Thank you everyone who read it, who followed me and favorited my story. Thank you guys.**

**Please, Enjoy it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 22 – JUST A DREAM

Emma was asleep when she heard small footsteps walking towards her bed, then she felt a slight push on her shoulders and a whisper "Mom?" Emma rose lazily, looking briefly at her watch and then looked at Henry.

"Henry, why are you awake? Another nightmare?" She asked.

The boy only nodded.

"I woke up and tried to call mom, but she didn't answer the phone. I think something happened, she always answers the phone when I call her." he said with his eyes teary.

"She must be sleeping, Henry." Emma said sleepily.

"No! I've already called the home phone and she didn't answer!" The boy stopped whispering and he started to get exalted.

"Henry, she's fine. She should only be sleeping, she's tired, Henry. Tomorrow, the first thing we'll do is call her, ok? Now let's go back to sleep."

"No! I will not sleep. You promised me that if she didn't answer the phone, you would take me there."

"We will try to call again, then."

Emma tried a few more times, but no answer came. She knew though Regina was tired but she always answered the phone. _What if something had happened? What if someone tried something against her?_ Emma started to get worried, but tried to hide it to not let Henry get worried. She wore a coat, grabbed her keys and headed to Regina's house, Henry was at her side and he cannot hide the concern that was on his face.

They arrived at the house and saw her car. _She is at home_, Emma thought. Henry took his key and ran to the entrance, followed by Emma. They made their way up the stairs toward Regina's bedroom. After knocking on the door, Henry pushed it open only to find the bed empty.

"Mom?" Henry shouted, running to the bathroom, but there was no sign of Regina. "Where is she?" the boy asked crying openly now.

"She must be in some other room, let's look." she said and noted Regina's cell phone on the dresser beside the bed. _Damn. Regina never goes out without her cell phone. Something is happening._

Henry ran and searched quickly in every room, screaming for his mother and getting more nervous with every empty room he found.

Emma followed the boy, but searched each room with more calmness. When Henry opened the room next to Regina's, Emma was amazed. She had never seen the babies' room, she knew it was ready, but didn't imagine anything like that. It was handsome, gentle, safe, and more than anything, every detail was thought out with love and care.

She regained consciousness when Henry went upstairs again, openly crying and saying that his mother was not anywhere in the house.

_She may have gone to take a breather, she has already done it before. Nothing happened._ Emma looked at Henry and said "Henry, we'll find her. She must have gone out for some air, okay!"

"No! Something happened. I know it. I should have stayed with her all day, now she's missing."

After searching in all possible places in the city, Henry was inconsolable and Emma no longer knew where to look. Emma knew Archie would be very concerned, but she had to warn him.

Regina was sleeping in Archie's arms and her head was resting on his shoulder. Archie was also asleep when he was awakened by screams and frantic knock on his door. Still trying to understand what was happening, he saw when Regina began to stir and whisper softly in her sleep. Quickly and as gently as possible, Archie took his arms from Regina and put her head back on the pillows that were on the couch, trying not to wake her.

He ran and opened the door. What he found were two agitated and worried people. The boy was crying and the woman's eyes were wide.

"Have you seen my mom?" Henry said in tears.

"Archie, I don't know where Regina is. She wasn't home and I've looked all over the city, I don't know what's happening, she's missing. What if someone showed up there and-" Emma started talking shaken.

"Hey, calm down, she's here. She's sleeping, but I don't know if she will be much longer if you keep yelling." Archie whispered, beckoning.

Henry didn't let Archie finish what he was saying and went into the house like lightning to see his mother. He found her on the couch, asleep. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were still red and Henry realized that she had been crying.

"Is she okay? Why was she crying?" Henry asked turning to Archie and Emma who had just entered.

Emma walked up next to the couch and looked at Regina who was sleeping peacefully. An immense relief washed over her.

Ignoring Henry's question, Emma looked up and asked "Archie, what is she doing here? We were going crazy, we looked everywhere possible. We thought something had happened." Emma blurted.

"She's okay, Emma. She just didn't want to be alone at home, so she came here." Archie said. "Why were you worried? It's in the middle of the night, why were you looking for her, did something happen?"

"No. It was just... Henry wanted to see her." Emma said, trying not to mention Henry's nightmares.

"Was it the nightmares?" Archie asked the boy, who looked shocked.

"How do you know?" Henry said.

"Regina told me, she's very worried about you and your nightmares, Henry." he said, looking back at the woman lying on the couch. "You want to talk about it?"

"No." The boy almost shouted.

"All right, Henry. Okay, we don't need talk about it if you don't want to." Archie said.

Archie offered them something to drink and after some time, Henry was already asleep on the couch next to Regina. Archie took the child and placed him on his bed and then returned to the room, where Emma was.

The two definitely had lost sleep. Archie sat in one of the armchairs and Emma sat in the other chair. Both could see Regina asleep. They talked for a while about random subjects, when Emma started to talk about Henry's nightmares.

"He has been having these nightmares since Cora was arrested" she began to explain "he won't tell me what they are about, but he wakes up terrified almost every night and I'm sure, those nightmares are about Regina." Emma whispered low to not wake the woman sleeping next to them.

"Do you think these nightmares may mean something?" Archie asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Archie. I hope it's only part of Henry's imagination and concern" she said.

They were silent for a while and then Archie started talking.

"She has been coming almost every night quite late." He said looking at Regina "She always says that she couldn't sleep, but today, today I realized that she lied to me, she doesn't want to talk about it, Emma, but I know, I'm sure she's hiding something."

"Why do you think that is, Archie?" Emma asked frowning.

"Today I saw her, she came crying and didn't want to talk about it, but she was terrified, I don't know what it is because she didn't tell me." he blurted.

Immediately, Emma remembered what was happening with Regina's magic, it was fading fast. She promised not to tell anyone, but she wanted to help Regina, she developed a feeling of affection for that woman.

And again, the two were silent for a few minutes. Archie and Emma became good friends. Emma had her head leaning back in her chair, almost closing her eyes and Archie was lost in thought.

Suddenly, Emma smiled broadly and it almost made her eyes close. Archie noticed and was curious.

"What is it? Why are you smiling?"

"You love her!" It was all that Emma said.

Archie gasped. It was not a question, he noted. The woman just said a fact. Should he confirm? Should he admit his feelings to another person? It would be the first time that he would do it and it could not be any scarier.

"You don't need to answer, Archie. I know it." she smiled.

"I... she... we kissed today." he admitted softly for fear of waking the woman.

"Really? This is great!" Emma almost screamed in joy. _Operation Amor is working!_

"What if she doesn't want to stay with me? I mean, look at her, she's beautiful and smart and stylish, she's a Queen and I'm just... I don't even know who I am. I'm just an ordinary man, just Jiminy Cricket. A Queen can't love a cricket." Archie admitted sadly.

"What? Archie, the Queen is pregnant with the cricket's children, so I guess it's okay for her to love the cricket." She said smiling "And besides, I know, I'm sure she loves you, she is only too proud to admit it" Emma rolled her eyes "and I can tell you one thing. I asked her if she loved you, she said no and guess what?"

"What?"

"She was lying. My lie detector was beeping like crazy. She loves you and that's ridiculously obvious, you two just don't see it!"

A huge smile appeared on his face. Maybe he has a chance with her and he would not waste it. He would seize every opportunity to prove to the woman that he loved her. It was his new goal. He would win the heart of the mother of his daughters.

They both looked at Regina when the woman groaned and shifted uncomfortably in her sleep, but as fast as the discomfort came, it left. Soon after, Archie and Emma also ended up falling asleep.

"No!" Regina started yelling "I didn't kill them, I didn't kill them!"

Archie stood up frightened by the intensity of the cries that came from Regina. Looking at her, he could see she was all sweaty and crying and her face contorted in pain. Emma woke up soon after.

"Regina? Regina, wake up, it's just a dream!" Archie said gently shaking the woman.

"I didn't kill them, I promise, I'm not the Evil Queen anymore." she continued screaming and writhing in her sleep.

Henry ran into the room, he woke up startled by the screams of his mother.

"What's happening?" He asked worriedly.

"Come on, Regina, wake up!" Archie called again, shaking her with more intensity than the other time.

"No! I didn't!" She cried when she opened her eyes frightened.

So she focused her eyes on Archie, she began to hyperventilate and cry even more, she sank her head into his neck and hugged him.

"I didn't kill them, Archie. I swear, they are my daughters, I didn't kill them." Regina whispered through her tears.

Archie, Emma and Henry looked scared. _Regina killing her own daughters?_ _It was insanity._ _She would never do that, she would never hurt her children,_ all of them were sure of it.

Emma stared in horror at the woman still hidden in Archie's arms. _Regina was also having nightmares? Since when? Why did she never tell anyone? What are these nightmares? A sign, a warning?_

"It's okay, Regina. It was just a nightmare, just a nightmare. Just breathe." Archie said comforting her. "You didn't hurt our daughters, they're fine, they're fine." he repeated, whispering in her ear, cradling her in an embrace and moving her forward and backward, as if he was comforting a child.

"I didn't kill them, Archie. I love them so much, I didn't kill them." Regina said again, with a much lower voice.

"I know you would never hurt your children, I'm sure of it."

"But someone killed my babies." she said, starting to cry desperately.

The three looked terrified. _Someone killed the babies? The nightmare was about it? _Regina was so terrified, so desperate that she did not realize that it was all a nightmare. She still believed that her daughters were killed?

"It was just a nightmare, _my love_, it was just a nightmare. They are right here." Archie said rubbing his hands on her belly.

_My love_. Emma and Henry could not help but notice when Archie called Regina _'my love'_. Even amid the tense moment, the two launched a grin at each other.

When Archie ran his hands on Regina's belly, she looked down and ran her hands on her swollen belly, making sure that her girls were even there. She let out a breath of relief when she realized that it was all a nightmare, another terrible nightmare.

"See? They are right here, well protected." He said with a reassuring smile, still with hands on her belly.

Regina said nothing. She just was running her hands on her belly looking for some movement to confirm that they were fine. Henry then decided to approach his mother.

"Mom?" He called, breaking her attention.

"Henry? What are you doing here?" She asked, noticing for the first time the presence of his son and Emma in the room.

"I couldn't sleep and Emma brought me, I called you, but you didn't answer. I was so worried." the boy said while approaching his mother on the couch. "What happened? You also had a nightmare?" He asked worriedly.

"I... uh... was only a bad dream, Henry." She said, running her hand in the boy's cheek in an attempt to calm him.

"You're having these nightmares?" He asked.

Regina looked at the boy, then to Archie and Emma. She did not want to worry them much less talk about her nightmares, not with them, much less now.

"No, Henry. That was the only time." she lied and looked at Emma who was examining her with narrow eyes.

Once Regina replied, Emma knew she was lying. She did not know why, but Regina was lying about the nightmares and was lying about her magic. She understood that Regina did not want Archie and Henry worried about her, but she could not continue with it. She would have to talk with Regina, not now, but soon.

Archie and Henry let out a sigh of relief when Regina said that this nightmare was the only one.

Emma went to get a glass of water for her and Henry was already curled up on the couch with her. Once Emma handed her the glass of water, Archie and Emma realized that her hands were still shaking.

"You sure you're fine?" Archie asked again.

"I'm fine, Archie." she said with a weak smile and hugged Henry tighter.

After a few minutes, Henry was already starting to sleep in Regina's arms and she was getting sleepy. Archie insisted, saying that they should sleep in the bed. Emma took Henry in her lap and Archie helped Regina to go to the bedroom. So the two went to bed, Henry approached Regina, seeking comfort in the arms of his mother and slept, followed by Regina.

Emma and Archie spent more time in the room just looking at the two who were sleeping peacefully in the bed. These people were the most important people in their lives. Henry was the most important person to Emma and Regina, the most important person to Archie, as well as their babies. After some minutes, they decided to leave and let them sleep.

* * *

The next morning Henry was the first to get a move on. He opened his eyes only to find his mother asleep beside him. He missed her and also this proximity between them. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was when she was asleep. He stared at her a few minutes, just wishing that these nightmares didn't happen with her or the girls. After some time, Regina opened her eyes.

"Henry?" Regina asked sleepily.

"Morning, mom." The boy replied with a smile.

"Morning, Henry!" After a few moments, Regina asked "Where are Emma and Archie?"

"I think they should be in the room." the boy replied.

"What time is it? You're not late?" She grimaced and said "I have to pee." she got up and ran as fast as she could toward the bathroom.

As she left the bathroom, the two made their way out of the bedroom only to find Archie lying uncomfortably on one of the chairs and Emma sprawled on the couch. Both seemed exhausted and Regina could say that Archie would have a terrible pain in his back due to the position in which he found himself. Pongo and Perdita were wrapped in carpet, sleeping.

Regina looked at Henry and both combined made a breakfast for the two people who were "sprawled" in the room.

Emma woke with the delicious smell of pancakes invading her nostrils. She looked into the kitchen and found Regina and Henry working as quietly as possible at breakfast. They seemed to enjoy the silence. She looked at Archie and smiled when she realized the position in which the man was asleep.

As soon as she got up from the couch, she walked toward the kitchen, where the only two awake in the house were.

"Good morning, Miss Swan!"

"Good morning, ma!"

"Morning. What are you doing? It smells wonderful." Emma said reaching out to the plateful of pancakes, but was soon cut off by Henry, who hit her hand.

"We're not done!" Henry said with a face that looked exactly like Regina.

"Okay" she said, yawning.

Once everything was ready, Regina decided to wake Archie. Looking at his tired expression, she almost felt sorry for waking him, but she knew he would be hungry.

"Archie?" She whispered, running her hands gently on the man's shoulder. "Archie" she called again and the man began muttering in his sleep. She smiled.

With the man still asleep, Regina ran her hand gently on his face. She was sure that Henry and Emma were not looking and gave a kiss on his cheek, calling again, but more gently. After a few seconds, the man's eyes opened and focused on Regina, who had his glasses in hand. She slid his glasses on his face and smiled as he grinned at her._ What a beautiful way to wake_, he thought.

The four ate quietly. Regina and Archie had a lot to talk about, but they could leave that for later.

* * *

**So, that is it! Please, let me know what you thought... sugestions, opinions, I'm all ears!**

**In the next chapter we are going to see new faces... wait! just wait! We're going to see a Regina's different side... just wait!**

**Thank you for reading until here.**

**See you,**

**Bárbara**


	23. Chapter 23 - New Faces

**Hey guys, I know I took too long to update, but please, I'm so sorry! As promised, this chapter is going to show Regina being a little... I'll let you read and then tell me what you thought.**

**To Anonymouse; Thank you! You know I can't tell you, but this is going to be resolved... not soon, but it will and I hope you'll enjoy it.**

**To Guest; Hum... if you had told me your name, I would have answered your question:) ahah Buuuut, I'll tell you something... you aren't totaly wrong. Haha They waking up together after what happened would be so perfect, I had to disturb it haha I'm a little evil, am I?**

**To anapcmesquita; haha Migs, I'm so sorry. You were wrong. The adventure don't started YET, so please enjoy the three following chapters because it will be the last before THE ADVENTURE AND DRAMA start and after that... I'm sorry, but you'll have nothing. Lov u**

**To Marina Masterson; Oh, I knew you would understand me. You know I can't tell you BUUUT you're not totaly wrong... see you ;D**

**To Ailec-12; First, I'm so happy that you found me on tumblr HAHA Of course I can! Why did you think I love The Evil Queen? Maybe I'm a little evil. What can I do? You ARE my favorite reader. You're with me since the first chapter :) THANK YOU!**

**To Gotapenname; HAHA Thank you so much... I love to read your comments and see you on the tumblr... I saw you liked and rebloged my drawing on the tumblr, THANK YOU!**

**To Guest; HAha Thank you for your review. Maybe they have. MAYBE! I hope you like this chapter, let me know and next, let me know your name ;)**

**To singingtree54; Thank you! I love to know you guys are enjoying this story. I'm so sorry I took too long to update, but now, it's here!**

**To EvilRegalTwinnies; I'll work on it, but you need to give me some time and chapters... haha ;) xoxo**

**To michele puretachi ; Uau! O que eu posso dizer? Eu fiquei tçao tão feliz com o seu comentário, sério. Você me deixou tão feliz! Pois é, eu sinto falta de mais histórias sobre eles. Eu tenho que confessar que foi uma história em particular que me inspirou. Ela é chamada "Lost and Alone". Então... para as suas perguntas: O hook. Você acredita que lembrei dele apenas alguns capítulos atrás? Mas não se preocupe, eu vou trazê-lo de volta. Regina e Gold, você vai ver isso, não agora, mas daqui a alguns capítulos. Quanto ao Henry. Eu acho que estavamos tão acustumados a ver ele agindo como um adulto que realmente esquecemos que ele É UMA CRIANÇA ;) entre 10-11 anos. Muito obrigada! Sério, muito mesmo... Deixe me saber tudo o que você pensa. Opiniões, idéias, sugestões, críticas. Abraços. Espero que goste do capítulo.**

**To Annie; Thank you and I'm sorry for boring you but you really wanna make me crazy, I know! Você diz que vai me mandar em um dia e me deixa esperando dias a fio... você quer me matar, eu tenho certeza! :) BEEEIJOS e Muito Muito Muito OBRIGADA! Você sabe que não posso fazer isso sem você, não é?**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

CHAPTER 23 – NEW FACES

The next day, Regina was determined to go talk with Archie. She was still a mess of feelings and didn't want him to stay with her just because of their babies. For Regina, it was still almost impossible to believe that someone can be as good and pure as Archie and the most important, that could love her.

She didn't know if it was a mess of pregnancy hormones or if it was because Archie would be the father of her daughters, but she developed feelings for the man that she hasn't felt since Daniel. Does she love him? No, Daniel was her one true love and he was dead. She kept repeating to herself, but she couldn't fool her own heart.

As soon as she, Emma and David left the stables at the end of the morning, Regina made her way to Archie's office. They needed to talk, they needed to make things clear between them, but how to do that if she didn't even know how she felt?

Regina and Perdita were almost turning the corner of Archie's office when Regina heard voices and footsteps approaching the door. She didn't know why, but she hid and was just watching.

"Shhh, Perdita. Don't make any noise!" She whispered to the dog that was already wagging its tail.

She watched as Archie opened the door and a woman came out of the office. _Who is this woman?_ Regina wondered still not being able to see the woman's face.

"So, Claire, I'll see you tomorrow? Same time?" She heard Archie ask.

"Yes, I think so. You have helped me so much, Archie."

_Archie? Who does this woman think she is and why isn't she calling Archie Dr. Hopper?_ Regina began to wonder. She never had a good relationship with Miss Bennet, she hasn't had a good relationship with anyone else, but she had a particularly troubled one with this woman.

"Thank you so much!" Claire said and kissed Archie on his cheek.

Archie was speechless and didn't know what to do, but as always, he was very polite to push her away or say something that could hurt his patients.

Regina, on the other hand, was wide-eyed with rage. She wanted to run in and grasp the woman's neck and get her away from Archie. She was trying to control herself. _The woman is just thanking him, that's it, isn't it?_ She clenched her fists and tried to calm down. She turned and started to walk away, but was stopped by a strong bark and Archie screaming for Pongo. The dog was running toward her, she could hear. Now she had to pretend she had just arrived and hadn't seen anything.

Once Pongo saw Regina, he stood up on his hind legs, lifting the front legs towards Regina's belly, she was fast enough to place her hands in front, grabbing the dog's paws and patting his head. She rolled her eyes "Hi Pongo." The dog was wagging his tail and Perdita was beside it, the dog was barking happily.

"Regina?" Archie spoke surprised when he turned the corner and saw Regina and Perdita there, now he understood why the dog ran out of the apartment.

"Hi." she smiled.

Claire ran right behind Archie and made no effort to hide her disgusted face when she saw Regina.

"Madam Mayor." She greeted cordially.

Regina didn't fail to notice the woman's face and returned in the same currency, grimacing in disgust how only the Mayor would know to do.

"Miss Bennet." she said dryly.

Archie, realizing the tension in the air, interrupted.

"So I'll see you tomorrow, Claire." he smiled at her and ran his hand on Regina's back, pulling her toward the door of the office.

"See you tomorrow, Dr. Hopper" she smiled at the man, gave one last look at Regina and turned to leave.

Pongo and Perdita ran into the office while Archie walked with Regina, who still had a frown on her face.

"What was that?" Archie said, looking at the woman.

"What?" Regina frowned, pretending not to know about what the psychologist was talking about.

"You seem upset and what is it between you and Miss Bennet? The two of you seemed very unhappy to see each other." He said.

_Now it's Miss Bennet? Just now you were calling 'Claire'_. Regina thought with disgust.

"Hmm..." she whispered, then turned to Archie and replied "I don't like her."

"And why not?" He raised an eyebrow, getting extremely curious.

"How long has she been coming here?"

"I don't know..." he replied thoughtfully "...a few months, why?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know" she replied quickly.

"So, I didn't know you were coming, I... we need... I think we should talk" he said, avoiding looking into her eyes.

Indeed, Regina had come to talk, but she lost the will, she didn't like that woman and now she was going to have sessions with Archie? '_Archie'_ she mimicked the annoying voice of the woman in her head. _'Dr. Hopper, Dr. Hopper'_ she repeated in vain in her head, as if she were teaching the woman how to talk to him. She was lost in thought.

"Regina?" Archie called for the third time.

"Hm... What?" she replied, waking her from her trance.

"Did you hear me?"

"I heard, but I have to do some things at City Hall, we'll talk later, okay?" She said, calling Perdita and directing herself towards the door. Archie didn't understand anything.

"If you didn't come to stay, didn't come to talk, why did you come here then?" He asked confused.

"I thought I had left my phone here" she lied.

"But you forgot it at home yesterday, remember?"

"That's true! Thank you, Archie. See you later" she said quickly and left. _Damn! What am I doing?_ _'I thought I had left my phone here' you had no other excuse, Regina? And why are you upset? You came to talk to Archie and now you are running?_ She was asking a lot of questions, mentally condemning herself.

She left the building and she felt as if she had nowhere to go, she didn't have anything important to do at City Hall, not now, maybe later. She walked toward her car and snorted at the thought of how the car looked small now. She would have to buy another car for when the girls arrive, it might be time to start looking for a bigger car, a minivan, for example. She made a mental note. After entering the car, she noticed a man walking down the sidewalk. She didn't know him, but he didn't seem strange to her.

"Regina, do you want to pick Henry up at school with me?" Emma said, approaching the car and pulling Regina out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I do" she answered quickly and turned her eyes to the man on the other side of the sidewalk. "Who is he?" Regina said frowning.

"Him?" she asked pointing the finger at the man.

"Don't point, Miss Swan" Regina rebuked.

"You know the accident that happened at the entrance of the city and the unknown guy?" Emma asked and Regina nodded. "It's him, his name is Greg."

"Why is he still here?"

"I don't know, Regina"

The two women picked up Henry from school, lunched and then Regina went to City Hall. That man didn't leave her head, she knew, she knew him from somewhere, she had seen him before, but where?

Opening one of her drawers to get a paper, she noticed a forgotten object inside. A keychain. Then, she remembered where it came from. _Owen._She had never forgotten the boy, she had loved him, even just for a moment. She made a mistake, another of her mistakes that have no way back. She pulled that little boy away from his father. Then, as if a light had been turned on inside her mind, her eyes widened in realization. That man, that Greg, it was Owen._What was he doing here?_

Regina stood up, took her keys, her purse and coat and ran toward the door, being followed by Perdita.

"Madam Mayor, we have a meeting in-" The secretary started talking when she saw Regina and her dog getting out hurriedly towards the exit of City Hall.

"Cancel it" she said and walked away without looking back.

Regina wasn't only the Mayor of Storybrooke, she was also the woman who had "eyes and ears" throughout the city. It wasn't difficult for her to find out where the "mystery man" was staying. Granny's hotel was the only one that existed in the city.

She took advantage of an unguarded moment from the secretary of the hotel to climb the stairs. She knew the room number where the man was staying and made her way to it. When she reached the front door, she realized that it was unlocked. '_Lucky me'_ she thought. No need to use magic. Although lately, this wasn't a concern because the magic that flowed in her veins seemed to have simply disappeared. The magic that once scared all the people and it was so powerful that it could do incredible things, now was just a spark and only a feeling for Regina. It has disappeared almost completely.

Entering the room, she closed the door behind her and began to seek the things of the man, searching for something that would reveal what he was doing back in town. She couldn't find anything different. Does he remember her? Does he remember what she had done?

She spent several minutes looking at the man's things and startled when the door opened and the man entered using his cell phone. Quickly she composed herself and resumed her impeccable Mayor's posture. The man looked confused at first, but didn't seem surprised at all. He just put his keys on the table and stared at her, waiting for any answer.

"Do you know? I was wondering from where I knew you because your face wasn't unfamiliar to me. Then, I remembered" she said, removing the keychain from her pocket and showing it to him "and I knew immediately who you are. I never would forget your eyes. Owen." She said calmly with a smile.

The man smiled and looked at the woman in front of him. She was still the same, it was as if no time had passed for her, the only difference is that she was pregnant. He remembered how he liked the woman when he was a kid and wanted to stay in town, but soon those memories were gone and anger overtook him. This woman had kept him apart from his father.

"Regina Mills" he said with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, moving closer to him, squinting menacingly. She could be pregnant, but she could still be as threatening as before.

"You know what I'm doing here, Regina. It took me a long time to get back, but I came for my father" The man replied.

"Your father?" She asked, frowning in confusion "he went away soon after you left" she replied.

"No, he didn't!" The man replied quickly.

"I released him as soon as you left, if he hasn't sought yo-" Regina began to speak, but was cut by the man who invaded her personal space and started screaming.

"HE HASN'T SOUGHT ME BECAUSE YOU HELD HIM HERE!" Perdita was frightened by the screams and then stood up and started growling dangerously at the man, gaining his attention.

"I told you, he's gone" Regina replied angrily with the proximity and the man's screams. _Who does he think he is to yell like that?_

"He never left, we both know it and people don't just disappear" he said.

"I already told you what I know, I will be coming here tomorrow to make sure that you have left town" she looked as menacingly as she could.

"I have said, I will not leave town until I find my father"

"I'm sorry, but I think you'll have to, because he's not here" she said and passed him, pulling the dog, still irritated, by the collar and headed to the door, then she turned to him again and said "contrary to what you think, people can 'just' disappear" then she went away, leaving behind her an angry man.

_This woman is threatening me? She doesn't know what I'm capable of. With or without magic, I'll find my daddy and if I don't, she will pay dearly for it._ He thought extremely angrily at the audacity of the woman.

Calming her nerves, Regina made her way back to her car._Dammit. What does he want here?_Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Archie. Regina rolled her eyes, she had just come out of a fight and wasn't in the mood to get into another. Yes, another fight, because she was still angry with the woman who had kissed Archie's cheek today and more irritated that he had done nothing to stop the woman. _Idiot. Foolish. Idiot._

Regina texted Archie saying that she was fine and decided to go home. She was done for today. She decided to go to the market to buy ice cream. '_A big tub of ice cream'_ she thought. She had already picked her favorite flavor and was absentmindedly running her eyes over the various brands of pickles when someone bumped into her.

Her first thought was to apologize and take the blame, but soon as she saw who the other person was, a huge frown came over her face.

"You don't pay attention to where you walk, madam mayor?" the other person asked irritably.

"You are the one who bumped into me, I was stopped here choosing my product. It's you that should have to be careful and look where you're going, Miss Bennet" Regina exclaimed furiously.

Glancing quickly to Regina's shopping cart, then to the shelf that held her attention and the woman smirked quietly.

"Madame Mayor, be careful not to turn into a whale. Have you ever stopped to think about the beautiful Queen rolling through town?"

Upon hearing this, Regina wanted to wring the woman's neck for the second time that day. Regina was grateful for not having magic in that moment, because if she had, she would have transformed her into some kind of a repugnant and disgusting insect. She took a deep breath, she was better than that -she was trying to be, at least- and smiled.

"Well, I'm pregnant and because of that I eat a lot more, but I don't think I have to explain it to you, look at yourself." She said almost spitting the words at Claire's face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have much more interesting things to do." Regina answered and when the woman started to open her mouth to respond, Regina had already passed her, leaving the woman alone.

After that, she finally managed to get home and rest. It was all she wanted to do for the rest of the day. Rest.

By night, she was awakened by one Archie's message.

_"I don't know what happened this morning, you seemed upset. We need to talk about what happened yesterday... about us. Good Night, Regina. Good night, daddy's girls. I love you. Archie."_

Regina read the message and rolled her eyes at first, but then her heart softened when she read the final part of the message.

_I love you. Who was he referring to?_ Regina? Only his girls? The three of them? Regina slept with a smile on her face and a dog, very badly accustomed to being on her bedside.

* * *

**So, what you thought? Let me know!**

**There is someone else thinking that Regina is jealous of Archie? YEEEEEES! She is just sooo stubborn to admit it! haha**

**In the next chapter, we'll see Regina and Archie being... what is the word? I just know that you all were waiting for this a long time ago... there will be kisses and words and I THINK I ALREADY SAID TOO MUCH! Wait!**

**Let me your reviews, favorite and follow if you think it is worth.**

**heeeey! Did you saw my drawing? What you thought? ;***

**Bárbara :)**


	24. Chapter 24 - I Already Love You

**Hello everybody! First of all I have to apologize for the delay in update this chapter.**

**My plans were to update once a week, but that is getting very hard since English is not my original language and I depend on my imagination and criativity, and the availability of my beta. So, I'm sorry for the delay and I hope you guys don't get angry at me.**

**Today, I would love to emphasize the fact that** **I'm brazilian and I would like to draw your attention to the events that are happening in my country. The brazilians -finally- decided to wake up. We are tired of being harmed by a government that does not care about its people. We are tired of seeing our money being diverted to the pockets of corrupt politicians while our education and health are falling apart. Finally, Brazil, a Giant, awake. #TheGiantAwake #OGiganteAcordou. Thanks to you who, from your homes and countries, are supporting us.**

**To Ailec-12; hahah I'm sure Archie and Henry were odd haha but I needed a drawing to this story and anyone could drawing it to me, so I decided to do it. Hey, I read your opinion about who Claire is but you're not going to find out soon. sorry! Thank you for your amazing reviews!**

**To anapcmesquita; Hey, of course you were part of the last chapter, but there is much more coming just wait. I'm sad. You told me you would stop reading if it no contain a lot of a interation between Regina and Archie, but this is really necessary, please, don't leave me as you did to ouat! please! Lov u!**

**To Marina Masterson; Tamara bitch was the best! I always read your reviews laughing a lot... you are a little bitch you know? I can't contain myself and I always end up telling you what is going to happen. this is not fun! BTW, love u!**

**To itspb1; I hate her too! haha Hey, you said you would love to see more of Regina and Emma, you'll win it! Just wait a little... ;) see you and please, don't forget to leave your review as you and not as guest. haha See you my favorite guest!**

**To ; Hum... Greg é igual a problemas, você sabe disso! Sim, você vai saber quem ela é, mas não agora, não durante um bom tempo. E sim, e verdade, odiar é uma coisa, mas desafiar e zombar é outro nível! haha Espero que goste do capítulo.**

**To Annie; Thank you!**

**Please, enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

CHAPTER 24 – I ALREADY LOVE YOU

A week passed and Regina had avoided Archie for almost all week, but now she had nowhere to escape. She had an appointment with Dr. Whale and there's no chance that Archie wouldn't participate in this, he was at all of Regina's appointments.

Regina was particularly irritated with Claire, this woman was becoming more and more present in her life and she didn't like it. She remembered the day that Henry got excited telling her that he had walked with Pongo through the city because Archie was with a patient. So far so good, the problem was when Henry cited the name of such a patient. Miss Bennet. She remembered, too, the other two times she faced the woman at Archie's office and how the woman acted differently when she was in front of him. _Fake!_ Regina was thinking.

Emma was another who annoyed Regina last week. Emma had already had the pleasure to meet Miss Bennet or Claire, as she called her, but she also didn't like that woman. She was annoying and arrogant, but Emma had to admit, she was really beautiful. Regina was also one of those women, but she was '_bareably annoying'_. The problem was that Henry had told Emma about walking with Pongo and also about the woman who was in Archie's office one of the mornings that she spends with Regina. She commented about the woman but she got an angry response from Regina. It became obvious that Regina did not like her and when she asked why, Regina didn't respond. Now, Emma had a way to easily irritate Regina and she was loving it.

Archie went to City Hall to meet with Regina so that the two could go together. The car ride was silent. Every question that Archie asked, Regina answered simply with a '_yes_' or '_no_'. Archie was doing his best to make Regina react differently, but she only gave him a different answer when he talked about their babies. Even that wasn't enough to bring back the smile she had had on her face when she was with him in recent months.

After a few silent minutes of waiting, Dr. Whale appeared and called both into his office. Regina entered before the two. Dr. Whale greeted her with a huge smile on his face and a "Good afternoon, Regina", but she barely cracked a smile. Soon after, Archie entered.

"What's up with her?" Dr. Whale whispered to Archie.

"She is angry with me, I guess." he whispered back, grimaced and shrugged, before they entered to find Regina already sitting up on the bed.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to have a conversation with Regina, Dr. Whale began to show the babies on the screen getting all of her attention. Once the image began to appear on the screen, Archie approached, putting his face right next to the screen and said excitedly _"_Hi girls, do you miss me?_"_ and gave a kiss on the screen. Obviously, he got an eye roll from Regina and a big smile from Dr. Whale.

"How can they? You talk with them every single day" she said irritably, still not taking her eyes off the screen. The two men rolled their eyes and smiled.

Archie rubbed his sleeve on the screen in an attempt to clean it and pulled back slightly. There were times when he was so focused on the image of his girls that Dr. Whale had to push him to see the screen.

Dr. Whale and Regina had the same opinion about Archie. He changed completely while he was in the ultrasound room seeing his children. In all queries, he was extremely excited, but it was funny how he suddenly could change his mood, from a very excited guy to a crying guy, in just a few seconds. It seemed that he was the one being flooded by hormones.

After cleaning Regina's belly, the doctor asked the two to sit down and started to talk about the examination results, as they always did.

"Congratulations, Regina, you are completing the fifth month of pregnancy." Dr. Whale said excitedly. "As you told me, the extra weight is already bothering your back and because of this you'll need to wear flat shoes. Avoid sitting or lying down for long periods of time."

"You say that because you aren't tired all the time." She replied.

"Ok, I'll talk about them then. Your babies have alternating sleep periods and alertness, which may or may not coincide with those of her sister. As long as they still have plenty of space to move, they'll kick and turn somersaults" he said smiling "you may start to see your belly moving."

Archie was so excited about the possibility to feel them moving a lot more than before. He could barely wait to record every movement of their girls. This would be his new hobby, poor Regina.

"Regina, we haven't talked about the kind of birth you want to do. As the results of your tests are going very well, if you want to do the natural deliv-"

"Are you crazy? I'm not going to have two babies coming out of my vagina!" She replied quickly, her eyes widening as she spoke.

"But we haven't even talked about it yet, Regi-" Archie began, but was interrupted.

"We don't have anything to talk about, there will be no normal delivery" She spoke without giving the possibility for further discussion.

Observing the interaction between the couple, Dr. Whale interrupted and started talking about the benefits of each delivery. In Regina's case, he said that a cesarian would only be necessary if something went wrong during the labor or depending on the position of the babies, but it was also something that could be modified.

Archie had done his homework. He knew almost everything about the different types of delivery for twins. He had researched it on the internet and was convinced that the healthiest birth was the natural delivery. Convincing Regina would be another story.

"You may think about the possibilities, Regina, and then you let me know-" Dr. Whale said.

"I've already thought about it. It is a settled matter, Dr. Whale. There will be no natural delivery" she said seriously.

"But Regina, it is the best mode of delivery for them and-" Archie began to talk in an attempt to convince Regina, but couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Well, I don't think that it's you who are carrying these two babies and much less you who are going to have to push them through your vagina!" She said quietly, without ever losing the class but sounding defiant and authoritative. "These babies will not be born by natural delivery. End of story" It's over. Archie knew he had missed that point and nothing in this world would convince Regina otherwise. Nothing. "Have a good afternoon, Dr. Whale" She said getting up from the chair and walking towards the door.

"Good afternoon, Regina" the doctor said and looked at Archie, who took the ultrasound pictures and ran behind the woman.

Archie reached the woman when she was almost leaving the hospital.

"Regina! Regina! Calm down, we need to talk." The man said running up to her and grabbed one of her arms, pulling her so she could look at him.

"Let me go, Archie. We have nothing to talk about!" She said pulling away from Archie's hand.

He couldn't understand why she was angry with him. He did nothing wrong and she spent last week running away from him and he had to admit that he was missing her.

"Regina" he called more calmly this time, stopping in front of the woman. "I swear, I don't know why you're acting this way with me. If you are angry because I did something, please tell me, I promise I'll try not to do it again, but this..." he threw his hands up in defeat "this isn't right... I... I've missed you the entire last week" he admitted.

Regina was looking at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She was angry with him, she wanted to scream at him, but she didn't know why. She could turn around and go home, lock herself up in there and just be angry. She didn't want to be alone and angry anymore. Maybe she should give herself a chance, a chance to maybe, perhaps be happy and not be angry.

She had missed him last week too. Even avoiding him, she hated to spend the day thinking about him or looking at the phone to see if it had any new message or missed call from him. Sighing a bit and still trying to stop the tears from falling, she stepped forward and hugged him.

He was still waiting for her to yell at him, but since Regina got pregnant, hugging him seemed the only way she had to let the anger fade and he could not complain, he loved having her in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, making soothing circles on her back as she cried with her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Neither of them realized they were in the middle of the street and if they did, they wouldn't care. After a while, when Archie realized that Regina was calmer he whispered in her ear.

"Now we can talk?"

She pulled away from him, not wanting to lose the comforting touch, looked into his eyes and nodded quietly.

"Ok then! You want to go home?" he asked.

"I have to pick up Perdita, she's with Ruby" Regina said, her voice still chocked because of the crying.

"And I have to pick up Pongo. We will get them and then go to your house and we'll talk ok?" He said quietly. Regina knew that Archie wasn't asking a question, but he had a way of speaking so gentle with her, looking at her that she couldn't even get angry. She just nodded.

They took the two dogs. Archie bought some things that he knew Regina liked to eat and then he went to her house.

Once inside and after eating some things, Archie realized that Regina was digressing. He knew she was a strong woman, but he came to realize that she often tended to digress when she didn't feel comfortable in a situation. He wouldn't let it happen this time.

They were still in the kitchen, he was finishing up the dishes while she was hiding in a tub of ice cream. He smiled at the scene.

"That night... that you were in my apartment, the night that Henry appeared there... I said... I said I love you" he began, stammering a little, but he decided "and then, you disappeared, you spent the entire week running from me, Regina. I don't want to pressure you, but I just..." he was getting frustrated. He loved this woman and this woman loved him, it's not that hard. "Dammit, Regina. I know that I love you and even though you say no, I know you love me too. I know that I can't offer you the life that a Queen deserves, I know I'm not a King and I'm not even part of royalty, but I love you more than anything and this is consuming me."

Regina was speechless. She was holding a scoop of ice cream in her hand, but it was already starting to melt. _He loves me. He loves me. He said he loves me. I already knew that, but HE LOVES ME!_ Her mind was racing wildly. She wanted to run and throw herself into his arms and say that she loved him too, but she had no such strength. Not now. Her body wasn't obeying her mind much less her heart.

After Archie's outburst, he saw that she was stunned silent. He couldn't read her emotions. He didn't know what she was thinking or if she at least was thinking about something. Actually, he didn't know if she had heard what he had said, but he couldn't miss this opportunity to talk about how he felt about her. He was taken by a courageous moment that even he didin't know he had. He just wanted to talk about all he was feeling, saying that he loved her, he wanted her, he wanted to be with her and the girls all the time.

He approached her, being followed by her eyes and kept talking.

"I want to be with you, Regina. I love you, I love you so much and not only because of our girls, but you taught me to love you in these past few months. You let me in and realize how beautiful you are. How you are entertaining, intelligent and affectionate when you love someone. I just want to be with you and I'm afraid, in fact, I'm terrified, because I never felt like this before, by anyone. I just know that you're the best thing that happened in my life. You'll give me a gift..." he sighed, his eyes began to shine when the tears began to fall, he was staring into Regina's eyes, close to her, speaking every word with every beat of his heart. "Two gifts" he laughed "the best gifts I could ever have and I don't deserve this. I love when you're in my arms, I love how your skin is so soft, I love when I kiss you. I want it every day, I want you every day. I want to be able to wake up and see you next to me, because I love you, Regina. I want to walk hand in hand with you, I want to take you to dinner, just the two of us, and I want you to want it too."

Regina had never heard anyone talk about such things, not with such intensity and sincerity. _Damn bug_. She rose from her chair and hugged him, her eyes and cheeks wet with tears.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Archie. I don't deserve you. I'm evil, I don't deserve you."

"How can you say that? I'm the only one who doesn't deserve you, Regina." he interrupted.

"No, Archie. You are wonderful, you're amorous and affectionate and educated, you are kind and I'm the opposite."

"No, you're not" he insisted. "I'm just asking for a chance. Give me a chance and I'll make you love me, you will see that you can love me."

"I already love you" she whispered.

Archie's heart nearly exploded with the sound of these words. He must have misunderstood. _She just said she loves me, she ALREADY loves me._ He looked at her a little confused, does he understood right? Doubt was away as soon as she smiled at him. A huge smile and a little embarrassed, but the most beautiful smile he knew.

He pulled her into a gentle kiss. They didn't need any more words. They had come to a conclusion that only the two of them could understand. They could take a chance. A chance to love, a chance to be happy and to become a family.

They wanted to take advantage from each other's arms, the kisses from each other, the time lost. They didn't want to split now, and they didn't. Archie didn't go home that night.

* * *

**So, what you thought?**  
**Leave me reviews. Please, follow this story and favorite if you think it is worth.**

**The next chapter... Oh God! I don't want to talk much about it, but it will be split into several pieces and events. I Like to think that the next chapter is the beginning of a major turnaround and the end... WHOA! I already told you too much... see you!**

**Bárbara, xoxo**


	25. Chapter 25 - It's Dawning

**Hey guys, here is the chapter 25 :) I'm so sorry about the delay but I really hope you like it... We are going to start seeing action...**

**I have been asked to post an oneshot about their last night (end of the chapter 24) and I wrote it. Please, go read. I wrote with moch love and you know... go ahead and leave me a review, let me know if you guys liked it. By the way, it is rated M, so don't read if you do not want to! It is called "This Is How It Is To Be Loved".**

**To EvilRegalsTwinnies; you have always great ideas and I'm going to hear you... but you need a little more calm haha ;) We have a long way ahead from now. By the way, thank you so much for reading this story... ;)**

**To Jcat30; Hey thank you for reviewed me... what about the baby shower? See you around sweet *-***

**To CCangel; Glad you liked, I do hope you like what is coming...**

**To Marina Masterson; I'm always laughing about your reviews... Hope you like this chapter, so please let me know what you think! See you ;) *-* kisses:)**

**To singingtree54; Thank you so much for your prayers. About the sequel... I already thought about it, but this story is so far to get an end...**

**To anapcmesquita; Regina is mine, I can do whatever I want with her ok? So she do not want to have a natural delivery (It is what she want... take your own conclusions). You ask me an oneshot.. you got it ;) Lov u ;) My friend, I do hope you have already take advantage of the all fluffy thing because it's going to stop for now...**

**To itspb1; Hey... so many questions... They all will be answered with time :) Thank you for always reviewing me, my lovely guest ;)**

**To Ailec-12; Heey my favorite reader... How are you doing? I'm so glad you liked it ;) See ya, hope you like this chapter as always...**

**To Angelina; Haha Thank you, sweetheart *-* Keep with me ;)**

**To Gotapenname; Thnk you so much! BUuut you are wrong.. Claire is someone from Fairy Tale. ;) I love seeing you on tumblr ;)**

**To michele puretachi; Eu também fico ansiosa, maaas você vai gostar do que estar por vir (eu espero *-*). Pois é, nosso Brasil acordou, eu sou de Rondônia e até aqui acordamos haha ;) Um grande abraço! Espero que goste do que está por vir.**

**To Annie; Thank you for being my beta;) I couldn't do it without you and please, don't forget leaving me a review, I would love to read it ;)**

**Enjoy it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 25 – IT'S DAWNING

They wanted to take advantage off being in each other's arms, the kisses from each other, the time lost. They didn't want to split now, and they didn't. Archie didn't go home that night.

Regina didn't know how to handle a situation like this. She had never been loved like this by anyone but she was enjoying every second of it as if it were a dream, a wonderful dream from which she would have to wake up in the morning.

They took every second as if their lives depended on it. They wanted to discover more about each other and know what was going on in the other's mind and heart.

They spent so much time just looking, decorating each line of expression on the face of the other that they didn't even realize how late it was. When they looked at the clock, Regina took him to her bedroom. Archie was anxious and worried at the same time, but both knew it was the right thing.

Nothing could overcome this moment of intimacy. It was night and it seemed they were the only two people in the entire world. They lay, enjoying the comfort offered by the warmth of the other body. There were no words or intentions. They were just happy to be lying next to each other and in that moment, both knew that they wouldn't want to be with anyone else.

They knew they were essentially a bunch of bones and organs and muscles and at the same time, they knew they were much more than that because they met and suddenly everything made sense.

Now, under blankets, they looked at each other, they truly looked at each other and saw the other for what the other was. They were not caring about their position in society or wealth, but only with the person that they fell in love deeply in recent months. Both were clearly nervous, they had things to find out including how to make it work with a pregnant five months belly between them, but they were so sure of what they were doing. Archie wanted Regina. Regina wanted Archie. They never felt so sure about it.

_So this is how it is to be loved... and to love…_

And then, not for the first time, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Perdita was the only one not so happy. Archie had taken her place in Regina's bed.

It had been so long since Regina had slept so well, so peaceful.

Regina opened her eyes and was met with Archie's green eyes staring at her. She frowned slightly in confusion. He was staring and smiling.

"Good morning." he whispered.

She opened her eyes a little more to look out the window, checking if it was actually morning. It wasn't. Yet.

"Good morning." she said and closed her eyes, enjoying the tranquility of that moment. "What?" she asked after a few seconds when she opened her eyes and Archie was still there, still staring at her.

"What what?" He frowned.

"You are staring"

He sighed and said "You're beautiful." he smiled when he saw her blushing.

Then she planted a kiss on his lips.

"It's dawning." he observed, when the first rays of light began to invade the room.

With a little effort, Regina was able to turn to the side of the window, getting back to Archie. While she was observing the light from outside she felt Archie's arms involving and pulling her closer to him and then, she smiled.

"It's dawning."

* * *

Two weeks had passed. Archie and Regina could say that these last two weeks had been the best time they had ever lived. They took advantage of every moment they had together to get to know each other better and fall in love a little more.

As Regina had requested, they hadn't told anyone about this new phase of their relationship. The truth is that they still didn't know what they were and they weren't going to waste time discussing it.

Regina spent a few nights at Archie's apartment, but unlike before, they spent the night together, talking in bed until they fell asleep. Archie, likewise, spent a few nights at Regina's home.

* * *

14 DAYS AGO

_So this is how it is to be loved... and to love_

"What what?" He frowned.

"You are staring."

He sighed and said "You're beautiful." he smiled when he saw her blushing.

"It's dawning" he observed, when the first rays of light began to invade the room.

"It's dawning."

* * *

13 DAYS AGO

"Sorry I'm late." Regina said as she entered the stables.

After the morning practice, David made his way to the police station while Regina and Emma picked Henry up at school.

"What happened?" Emma asked curiously.

"Why?" Regina frowned in confusion.

"You can't stop smiling and you're in an amazing mood today."

"And you could be enjoying my amazing mood and not trying to annoy me." Regina sang the words.

"I take back what I said. I will try to take advantage of your good mood."

They picked Henry up and had lunch with him. Before going to work at City Hall, Regina said she had to get something she had forgotten in Archie's office. She sighed when Henry volunteered to go along.

Henry and Regina made their way to Archie's office. Henry was being pulled by Perdita, who seemed to know exactly where they were going.

Arriving at the apartment, Archie opened the door and a huge smile graced his face as he looked at Regina. A slight blush came over to the two adults.

"Hi!" Regina said.

"Hi Archie, how are you?" The boy smiled happily, wrapping his arms quickly around the older man.

"I'm fine, buddy, and you?"

"I'm fine, I got an A+ on the math test."

"Wow, that is amazing!" He smiled and the boy passed him and ran to the couch, enjoying Pongo's joy.

Archie smiled at Regina, who wrapped him in a hug. She wanted to kiss him, but Henry was sitting right there on the couch and she wouldn't do it in front of the boy. Understanding Regina, Archie pulled her inside the office and closed the door behind him.

They were all sitting in the small kitchen, chatting and joking. Regina was drinking a glass of water when Henry excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Once the boy was out of sight, Regina sank into Archie's arms. They kissed and could feel the smile gracing each other's face. Then he whispered "Hi, beautiful." and he noted her face blushing again.

Still in his arms, the two were frightened when Pongo barked at them as he wagged his tail. Recovering from the brief scare, the two fell out laughing.

When they heard the bathroom door closing, they walked away, returning to the places where they were before. The boy entered the room and looked at her mother and then at Archie. They were strangers and could barely look at each other's eyes.

"What's going on with you?" The boy asked confused.

And for the third time that day, Regina blushed.

* * *

10 DAYS AGO

A series of raids were being reported in the city. Someone, for some reason, was raiding several places. The first was City Hall, followed by Mr. Gold's store, Granny's, a workshop and a few houses and some abandoned buildings.

The problem was that nobody knew the reason for these invasions. In every invaded place, nothing was stolen, but each environment from each place had been surveyed as if someone was looking for something.

This night, Regina was at home. The day had been very busy for everyone and she really wanted to rest. She thought about calling Archie and going to his apartment or calling him to come to her house, but gave up.

Regina was in bed, almost asleep when her cell phone rang.

_"Good night, girls of my life."_

Regina laughed at the text displayed on the mobile screen.

_"The girls of your life are saying good night, daddy."_ and pressed the send key.

A few seconds later the phone rang again.

_"You will call me daddy now? How about you just call me Archie and let "Daddy" be just for the girls?_

She couldn't stop laughing. She got it. She was part of the _'girls of his life.'_

_"Good night, bug."_ she sent and in less than a few seconds from when the reply came.

_"Good night, my queen."_

And then she was asleep. On such nights, the nightmares never appeared.

* * *

7 DAYS AGO

"So, you think they're dating."

"I'm sure. Don't you notice how Archie and mom are happy all the time?" Henry whispered so no one in the restaurant could hear.

"You have a point. Regina is hiding something from me. She doesn't come as early as before and she is smiling all the time." Emma said, frowning in thought.

"I'm saying, I know my mother."

"But don't you think they would have told us?"

The boy shrugged. At this time, Claire appeared in the restaurant. The boy looked at the woman, then turned to Emma and continued to whisper.

"Mom doesn't like her."

"I know, but why? Do you know?"

"No, she's having consultations with Archie." he said. "Who do you think she is?"

"What?"

"In the Enchanted Forest." the boy clarified.

"I don't know."

Then, a huge smile appeared on Emma's face. Definitely, it was a novelty. She didn't know that the woman had been visiting Archie. Obviously, Regina was jealous. Mentally, Emma made a mental note to find out if Regina was jealous of Archie, she would figure it out very soon.

"What?" The boy asked.

"What?" she asked confused.

"You're smiling, what are you thinking?"

"Nothing." she smiled.

* * *

6 DAYS AGO

"So I was thinking... what are we?"

"How so?" Regina frowned in confusion.

"I... we only... are we dating?" He took all the courage he had to ask. "It's just that I-"

"I... I don't know, Archie. We just..." Regina was stuttering. Regina never stutters. She was uncomfortable, he knew.

"Sorry, Regina, I didn't want to press you."

"No, that's not it, Archie. It's just that... just that I'm not very good with relationships, I... we can't just stay like this?" she offered hopefully.

"This is great for me." he said not wanting to bother the woman.

He planted a kiss on her lips and smiled. When she was almost asleep, he said "you know, I love having you in my arms and being able to spend more time with you... and with them." he said rubbing her rounded belly.

"Us too." It was all she said before falling into a peaceful sleep, safe in her love's arms. Love? He was it for her? Her love? She didn't know if she could confirm this, but she felt good that way.

* * *

5 DAYS AGO

Regina was coming to Archie's office, Henry and Perdita running in front of her. Before she could knock on the door, it swung open, revealing Archie and Claire. She was leaving.

"So I'll see you after tomorrow" the man said, opening the door so the woman could pass.

"I'll wait eagerly." she replied and only then the two realized the people who were at the door.

The frown on Regina's face was huge.

"Hello, Henry! How are you?" The woman greeted.

"I'm fine, thanks!" He replied and passed the woman. "Hi Archie." he said hugging the man.

"Hi, Henry, I didn't know you were coming." He replied, looking at Regina.

"Madam Mayor, how are your babies?" Claire asked with a smirk crossing her face.

"They are great." The woman said sharply.

"And you? How are you?"

"I was better before" she said and passed the woman "have a nice day" and then turned around, passing the door and closing it behind the beautiful redhead with long hair.

She let out a groan of anger when she entered. Both Archie and Henry looked concerned. They both knew that she was angry. Henry looked at Archie, widened his eyes and shrugged showing that he didn't know the reason for this explosion. The boy ran to the couch.

"So will you tell me what just happened at the door?" Archie said.

"What?"

"That, Regina. I know you don't like Miss Bennet, but you didn't need to treat her badly. She was just wondering how you were" he explained.

Regina snorted again, incredulously. _Doesn't he see the front put up by that woman? Is he so blind to not realize the woman is hitting on him, even knowing that he will have two children soon?_ Then she stopped, stared and looked at Archie.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Archie, she knows that these babies are your babies?" she asked, trying to control the pang of anger and jealousy she was feeling. _No. I'm not jealous of Archie._

"Of course, Regina. I think the whole town knows that" he replied in exasperation. "Wait, what's the point here?" He asked, not understanding what that had to do with the whole situation between the women.

"Nothing."

Both slept alone that night. Regina angry and Archie uncomprehendingly.

* * *

3 DAYS AGO

The town's library was raided. As before, all the places were searched and nothing was stolen.

"People are getting mad." Emma admitted to David, both sitting in the police station.

"We have to find who is invading these places and what that person wants, Emma."

"I know."

Regina was sitting on Archie's couch. _If she did that until the end of this pregnancy, he would have to buy a new couch, one more comfortable for her,_ he thought. Her back was on a pile of pillows and legs in a puff. Archie was massaging her swollen feet and Henry was reading something at her side.

"Ouch." she jumped a little and was greeted by two pairs of watchful eyes.

"That hurts, Regina? I'm sorry, I didn't think I was using so much force." he said, feeling guilty and looking at her face.

"It isn't that, Archie. They kicked." she said rubbing her belly.

At the same moment, the two men were at her side, talking, stroking and waiting for any movement. Not that they needed it to move. In recent weeks, especially in recent days, they were very active and their kicks were getting really strong. It was almost impossible not to feel them moving.

"Oh my God!" Henry almost cried when he saw a wave in Regina's belly.

"Henry, get the camera, we need to record it." Archie said with wide eyes.

Regina pulled up her shirt to the edge just below her breasts. Her belly was showing. Archie and Henry were almost falling over her, eager and amazed with every visible movement. _Visible and sometimes painful_, Regina thought.

* * *

1 DAY AGO

Henry woke at dawn from another nightmare, this was different from all the others. For the first time it had no Cora, but it was still terrifying.

The boy made his way to Emma's room and asked to go to his mother's house. She sighed in defeat knowing that she couldn't get the idea out of the boy's head.

After entering the house as silent as ever and being followed by Emma, they made their way through the stairs toward Regina's bedroom. Henry opened the door as quietly as possible and encountered two dogs curled asleep on the carpet. Two Dalmatians. _Two? Pongo? What is Pongo doing here?_

So, ignoring the presence of the dog, he made his way toward his mom's bed. The only light in the room came from outside, flashes of light passing through the window. Just then he looked at the bed and took a fright. He almost shouted. Almost. He put his hand on his mouth to make sure no sound came out.

Archie was in his mother's bed. Regina was lying in his arms. Her head was resting on his shoulder, mouth slightly open and her hands resting on his chest. Archie had his arms around Regina, holding her close to him. One of his hands, resting on her belly.

With wide eyes and trying to avoid making any kind of noise, the boy turned and found Emma keeping a little behind the door, she hadn't seen what he had seen.

When Emma noticed Henry's eyes widened, she tried asking questions, but was interrupted by Henry putting a finger on his lips in a silence signal and pushed the woman out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Henry, what is it? She isn't there?" Emma asked, her eyes widening as much as Henry, if possible.

"Shhh, speak low!" The boy warned and got a shrug from Emma and a look asking for explanations. "Archie is there... there on mom's bed."

And, as if it were possible, Emma's eyes widened even more and her mouth opened in disbelief.

"You mean in bed, in bed? He's in there with Regina?" The woman asked in disbelief.

"Uh-huh." the boy nodded "let's go before they wake up."

Still speechless, Emma only did what the boy said.

Later that day.

"So they're dating." the blonde woman admitted trying to convince herself.

"I told you."

"But why don't they tell us?"

"I don't know, maybe they want to keep it a secret?" The boy offered.

"Maybe."

"We can't tell mom." the boy said a little insecure.

"No!" Emma almost shouted "We won't tell, right?" Emma asked. The two were completely lost and Emma felt like a child.

They kept talking, trying to forget the image Henry saw.

"... and then mom almost shouted at her, she was furious." Henry was telling Emma what happened when Regina met with Claire at Archie's office.

"But you said she did nothing."

"And she didn't, she just asked how mom was and how the babies were and then mom was furious. After that, Archie and mother were estranged."

"Hm..." Emma whispered and smiled. She had no doubt. Regina was jealous of Archie. _Who would say it? I knew it! Regina was hiding something, but this?_ She'll enjoy it! She'll play a game of indirectness with Regina, Regina likes this game. It will be her turn to be on the other side.

The hospital was invaded and along with it, Regina's "secret place" was discovered.

* * *

TODAY

After the uproar of the last day, the whole town was a mess. Mr. Gold was more than angry because "finding" the "secret place" in the hospital, they could see the names of everyone who had once been imprisoned. And then he saw a cell where the name of his beloved was written on the door. Belle. He was furious with Regina.

The day was troubled. Many people asked questions to Regina and other desperate people asked questions to David and Emma. There had no training this morning and would probably have no training for the next few days, not until they find who was responsible for the invasions.

Mr. Gold fought with Regina in public and the fight only came to an end because Belle appeared and interrupted. Sidney Glass was another. And, when she was making her way home, in the afternoon, she still had to deal with Claire dropping hints and joking about her.

Not this time. She almost went to the woman's neck if it wasn't for Henry pulling her and calming her down. And, to get a conclusion, Archie and Snow spent the day together in search of a solution to calm the city and quiet people.

It was the most stressful day for Regina in the last months. She was furious with herself and with the unknown person who was causing the commotion in the city. She ended up fighting with Emma, Claire, Mr. Gold, Sidney and Spencer, the former King George, and all this in just one day. She also got into a discussion with Archie because of her safety.

She was exhausted and angry. She just wanted this chaotic day to end soon. She asked Henry to sleep at Emma's house that night.

It was night and the whole town was asleep. Regina spent the last four hours lying in bed, stuck in a deep sleep. It was around 2am when she heard a noise in the bottom of the house. Awaking from her sleepy state, she looked at the clock and the dog sleeping in her bed and smiled. She knew it was Henry, who else? In a childish moment, she decided to get out of bed and surprise the boy, giving him a little scare.

She got up and opened the door, but was met by silence and darkness. Wondering why the boy hadn't yet appeared in the corridor, she made her way silently being followed by Perdita, preparing to give a scare to the boy, but he didn't appear, nor Emma._ Weird._

Realizing that they should have already appeared, she called the boy's name and then Emma's. No answer came. So, fear consumed her. She was alone in this huge house, she got a lot of angry people in the same day, she was pregnant and without magic. _Damn!_

She ran back to her room and locked the door, resting her back against the door, sighing with relief. Suddenly, a noise reached the door and her heart soared again. She turned to the door and took a few steps back, breathing loudly and her eyes wide. So Regina could hear Perdita's exalted barking on the other side of the door. She looked at the bed and smiled to herself. It was just the dog, Regina had left her outside the room when she ran scared and locked the door.

Soon as she let the relief take care of her, a strong arm wrapped around her and a cloth was placed over her mouth and nose. She tried to fight and struggle, but the person was stronger and something was wrong. She was feeling dizzy and weak. The only sounds she could hear were her moans, an exasperated breath on her neck and the desperate barking of her dog. Her arms were weakening, her vision was blurring, and then her legs gave way. The darkness engulfed her.

* * *

**I know guys you are going to kill me because I'm stopping it here... buut we all need a bit of thriller... Don't you think?**

**What you thought about this chapter?**

**Don't forget to go read my oneshot based on the last chapter ;) See you.**

**Bárbara**


	26. Chapter 26 - Darkness

**Oh My God! Here is the chapter 26 and I'm so so so sorry for the longest delay... seriously, it wasn't my fault! haha But I do hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I loved writting.**

**I think our "drama" just began...**

**To EvilRegalTwinnies; It is exactly what I wanted... kill you all haha Sorry for the delay. Maybe someone can help her, we'll see;) Thank you for reviewing me!**

**To anapcmesquita; Thank you for keeping reading, even I knowing you don't like "adventures and dramas" chapters, you just like romance... please stop! Read and as always, let me know what you think... see ya sweet *-***

**To itspb1; haha Você tirou todas as palavras da minha boca haha Muito obrigada pelos comentários. Eu não quero estragar a surpresa pra você, então você vai ter que ler para saber se seu palpite estava certo ou errado. Foi fofo mesmo, né? Mas, sinto lhe informar, o fofo estará dando um folga haha. Obrigada e deixe-me saber o que você achou desse capítulo.**

**To Guest1; "I hope she's ok, chloroform isn't good for babies" Yes, it's definitely not good for babies... And you need read this one to know the answer to your question. See ya, thank you for reviewing me and please, in the next, let me know your name ;)**

**To Nara Marina; Hey, I think you were "Guest" in the last review you leave me, but don't worry, I don't need to read too much to know that it were you. Hey, I think you're giving my readers some spoilers... stop it, pleeease *-* Just you know who is Claire. And, YEEEES, the drama and adventure is coming, ops... it is here. Let me know what you thought.**

**To ; Eu sinto tanto pela longa demora, sério mesmo! Espero que esse capítulo não te decepcione. Por favor, não se esqueça de me deixar saber o que você achou... See ya ;)**

**To Ailec-12; I was waiting for your review, I think it wasn't fair with my story if I just posted it before you reviewed me. You're with me since the beggining! Miss you ;) See ya! My favorite reader ;)**

**To Guest2; Thank you, I hope you like this chapter... see ya!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 26 – DARKNESS

Her arms were weakening, her vision was blurring and then her legs gave way. The darkness engulfed her.

* * *

Regina opened her eyes slowly. The light of the place immediately forced her to close her eyes again. She was dizzy and disoriented. She was fighting against the drowsiness. She was feeling pain in the arms and wrists and her back was hurting more than normal. With much effort, she tried to focus the blurred vision on something around her. She could see nothing, only light coming from a high window on one wall.

_Where am I? What happened?_ Still trying to focus around the room, she noticed a table, a chair or two and other things that she could not identify at that time. She closed her eyes again and groaned. Keeping her eyes open and lifting her head was already a huge effort.

Opening her eyes again, she saw a shadow leaning against one of the walls. She squeezed her eyes trying to focus, trying to figure out what that object was and then she froze.

There was a person there, someone was watching her. She could not identify the face in the darkness, but her eyes shone with the light of the window.

"What is... what... who is there?" she managed to ask with great difficulty, because her throat was still dry.

* * *

As expected, Regina had not appeared at training this morning. David and Emma agreed that she would not appear. The last day had been exhausting for everyone, especially for her.

They turned and made their way to the police station. They still had an invader to find.

Archie woke up early that morning. Sleep did not come easy. He thought about calling Regina, but preferred to wait, he did not want to wake her or annoy her more than she already was.

He sent some messages to her in the morning. When he received no answer, he automatically understood that she was still asleep or was still angry.

Emma picked Henry up at school so they could have lunch together. They found Snow and Archie and after a few minutes, David joined them.

"Where is Regina?" Snow was the first to ask.

"I don't know, I haven't seen her today." Emma replied shrugging.

"I sent a few messages, but she didn't answer me. I think she's still mad at me about yesterday." Archie admitted.

"Maybe she's just resting, yesterday was quite a day for all of us, but especially for her." David admitted.

Henry was silent. Something was out of place and he could not understand what it was.

* * *

The man stood up and started walking towards Regina. Slowly, his face and body was being revealed until he was ahead of Regina, finally became visible and with a sickly smile on his face.

Regina's eyes widened with horror.

"You bastard." she shouted.

"I said I wasn't leaving until I find my father and I will not." The man admitted.

Regina was furious. In a rage, she threw her body forward in an attempt to attack the man, but was restrained by her arms that only now she realized, were tied behind the chair, making her position extremely uncomfortable considering her condition.

The man laughed in the failed attempt of the woman.

"Madam Mayor, not worth fighting, you will only get out when you answer me where, exactly, is my father?" The man spoke seriously, the tone a bit annoyed and scary.

_If he only knew._

"I told you, he's not in town, he left town soon after you!" She spoke with a voice as secure as she could hold.

"You don't dare lie to me, Regina. WHERE IS HE?" The man shouted the last sentence upon her face, startling her more than she could imagine.

Against her will, a tear made its way down her cheek. And then the fear came. _Shit!_ She was never afraid. She was the Evil Queen, the Mayor of the city and the woman who could intimidate an entire city with just one look. She should not be afraid, she would not feel afraid, but this was different. She had two precious things to care and worry for. She had to ensure the well-being of her girls. And she would. She was a fighter, she does not give up.

"Look, we can stay here as long as it takes. The faster you speak, the quicker you will get out of here." he tried to calm himself.

"I don't know where he is." the woman said flatly.

"I don't want to hurt you, Regina, but I'll do it if you don't cooperate."

Then she laughed deadly.

"You're crazy." She smiled dangerously. "You know who I am?"

"Don't worry, Regina. I know exactly who you are and what you are capable of."

"No, I don't think you know. You wouldn't be keeping me here if you knew what I'm capable of."

"You're talking about your magic, Madam Mayor?" The man said sarcastically and Regina realized it.

"I'll kill you!"

"No, you will not!" So he approached her, grabbed her chin and held it until her eyes were at the level of his. "Because if you would do something... if you had magic, you would have already left here."

Regina moved her face in horror. She realized that he knew about her magic.

"Don't ever touch me again or-"

"Or what?" the man challenged.

* * *

Greg was walking through town with his phone in hand. He did not know what to do. He did not want to get violent, because the woman was pregnant, but he was furious. He wanted an answer that only Regina could give to him.

An intense exchange of messages with his "her" was happening.

_"I got her. She isn't saying where he is, she says she doesn't know, but she's lying. I don't know what to do."_

_"Make her talk"_

_"But I don't want to hurt her, she's pregnant."_

_"She's pregnant? Why didn't you tell me this before?"_

_"I didn't know it was relevant. I came to find my father and I'll leave town only when I find him."_

_"And if she doesn't talk? And if she doesn't know where he is? And if he is already dead?"_

The answer came instantly:

_"Then I'll kill her"_

_"No! Dying will not be enough... you need to think about the years you suffered alone... living in foster homes. She needs to pay for what she did"_

_"But what will I do? Soon they will realize that she is missing"_

_"Get her out of town. They can't leave the city without losing memory"_

_"How do you know that?"_

_"You know I did my homework, don't you?"_

_"I love you"_

_"I love you too"_

Greg returned to where he was keeping Regina. It was around 4 pm.

* * *

"She hasn't answered any of my messages yet." Archie said sadly. "She was furious with me yesterday, but what can I do? She is the mother of my children, I have to worry about them."

"You worry too much, I bet she is at City Hall, angry and behind a lot of paperwork and also thinking about the problems that this invader is causing in town." Emma said trying to reassure the man.

* * *

"Where were we, Madam Mayor?" Greg pulled out a chair and sat in front of the woman.

She had not eaten nor drank anything since the day before. She was hungry, her stomach was growling and her throat was dry.

"Will you not answer me?"

"I've said... I do not know where he is" she said in a dangerously low voice, anger once again taking care of her.

"You're lying... I think you need an incentive to start talking, what do you think?" The man said with a grim smile on his face.

He pulled a knife from his pocket and started playing with it in his hands. The reflection of the object reached Regina's eyes and sent a sudden fear through her spine.

All she wanted now was her magic working properly. _Work. Work. Dammit. Work!_ She almost let out the mantra that kept repeating in her head as her fingers moved in an attempt to make her magic work.

"It's not working, is it?" The man asked, approaching her. "It's horrible to feel powerless to protect the people we love. Trust me, I know!" He said and began to pass the knife on her face, down her neck, passing between her breasts and then coursing Regina's belly.

She could hardly breathe.

"Where is he?"

"I already said I don't know." She was getting desperate and the tears had already won her numerous attempts not to cry.

"I had to go into every place of this damn town looking for where he might be, but I could not find him."

"It was you? You idiot. You caused an uproar in the city. Stupid bastard." She screamed.

"WHERE IS MY FATHER?" The man shouted, his face almost touching Regina's.

* * *

"She isn't at City Hall. I better go check if she's okay." Archie admitted, concern was taking over him. A whole day and no answer. It was not normal, even when she was angry.

"You want me to go with you?" Snow offered.

"No." Archie replied quickly "I... I'll just make sure she's okay. Thank you, Snow." Archie thanked her and left, taking Pongo.

* * *

Archie was standing more than 15 minutes at Regina's door. He knew she was slower lately and would take some time to go down the stairs and open the door, that is, if she was not asleep, but this was too much. He had already beaten so hard and so often called on her cell phone that she would have awoken. Concentrating, he began to hear the barking coming from inside the house and felt relaxed for a moment. Everything was fine. So Pongo started barking violently against the door, scratching at it in an attempt to enter.

"Calm down, Pongo." Archie tried to calm the dog, but he was just getting more nervous. He never saw Pongo that way. "Regina, come on, open the door." he continued slamming and no answer came.

He circled the house and grabbed a spare key that Regina had saved for Henry, if he needed. Henry had taught Archie where the key was hidden. He returned to the front door and entered the house, calling for Regina.

The violent barking of Perdita could be heard throughout the house, but no sign of the dog. As they entered the house, Pongo ran up the stairs, followed by Archie.

"Regina, are you there? I texted you all day and-" Archie stopped talking when he entered Regina's bedroom and found Pongo scratching at the door of her closet. He opened it and found the other dog alone. _She was locked in?_

The dog passed him sniffing around the room, jumping on the bed as if she were looking for her owner. Only then, Archie took note that the bed was unmade. _Regina never leaves the bed unmade._ Her cell phone was on the nightstand beside the bed. His eyes widened. He ran and picked up the phone. 8 missed calls and 7 messages. She did not actually read any. _Dammit. What happened to her?_

He picked up his own phone, struggling not to drop it to the floor due to nervousness and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Emma." the man spoke exalted. His voice did not hide the panic.

"Archie? What happened?" The blonde woman asked worriedly.

"It's Regina. Something happened, somebody did something, she is not at home and her cell phone is here." the man could barely breathe to speak.

"Calm down, Archie. Speak slowly. She must be somewhere, she forgot the cel-"

"She didn't leave, something happened, I came and... and Perdita was locked inside Regina's closet. The door is all scratched up, like she was trying to get out for a long time. Regina wouldn't leave Perdita locked up at home... something happened."

"I'm coming."

* * *

"Where is she?" Archie entered in Mr. Gold's store yelling at him. Emma, Mary Margaret and David were close behind.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The man smiled confused.

"Come on, Gold. Where is Regina?" Emma asked irritably.

"Our Queen is missing?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't play dumb, Gold. Where is Regina? What did you do to her?" David asked, taking the lead of the conversation.

"How lovely of you, all concerned about the number one enemy of your wife, huh?"

"Don't play with me, Gold. This is not the time for jokes. Where is Regina?" David asked.

At this time, Belle entered the room, frowning in confusion.

"What happened to Regina?" Belle asked.

"She's missing. Someone did something to her." Archie replied quickly and nervously. Everyone in the room gave an angry look at Mr. Gold and Belle realized that.

"Do you have anything to do with it, Rumple?" Belle looked at him, disappointment was invading her features.

"No." The man rushed to respond. "I haven't seen her since yesterday, I swear Belle."

"I don't believe you." Emma admitted.

"Use your superpower to know if I'm lying, then."

Emma looked at him once more. He was really telling the truth. He hadn't done anything with Regina.

"Where is she? Who would hurt her?" Archie asked innocently.

"Well, I can make a list of people who would like to get revenge on Regina if you want." Mr. Gold said.

"No more games, we have to find her." Snow offered.

"She has magic, she wouldn't let anyone hurt her. She is the most powerful woman in the city, after Cora. I can't believe someone would risk messing with her." Mr. Gold said.

Emma swallowed. "_She has magic, she wouldn't let anyone hurt her"._ _SHE HAS NO MAGIC._ Her brain was screaming and now the concern was taking care of her. She should have told someone, Regina should not have been alone.

"She may be hiding. Yesterday wasn't the best day for our Majesty."

"She's not hiding. Someone took her, I'm sure. She wouldn't leave Perdita locked up and she would have taken the cell phone with her. She isn't stupid." Archie almost cried.

"Hold your horses, cricket!" Mr. Gold said.

* * *

The hours passed quickly. Regina was exhausted and the position she had stayed in all day was extremely uncomfortable.

"I... I'm thirsty" she said and felt her throat hurting.

The man grabbed a glass, filled it with water and gave it to her. In another situation, Regina would never accept the glass of water, but she knew the man needed her. He would not risk poisoning her.

She took advantage of every sip. She was starving and her body ached.

"How long do we still have to stay here" he asked annoyed "I just need to know where he is"

"I already told you that I don't know" she replied quietly, her voice lower than normal.

A few more minutes of silence settled between them. The man was playing with the knife.

"You know, they should already be looking for me." She said.

"Then we'd better hurry things." He said and picked up a gun that was on one of the tables in the dark room. Regina's eyes sparkled and her breathing became irregular.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked scared.

The man approached her face. Regina could feel his breath. He began playing with the gun pointed at her face, but when he realized that pointing the gun to the woman's belly had a greater effect on her, he took advantage of it.

He pulled the trigger once.

She shuddered. She could almost feel her heart stopping. When nothing happened, she sighed with relief and even scared. She opened her eyes to find the man laughing at her.

"You idiot!" She screamed.

"You know, you are a very tough woman. I like women like that." He smirked and grabbed her chin, trying to kiss her.

Regina tried to shift, but the man's grip was stronger. Their lips met and she was furious. The man walked away with a scream when he felt the woman biting his lower lip. She bit so hard that blood came out of his lips.

"YOU BITCH! NO MORE JOKES!" He was furious, but Regina would not relent. She does not like to show weakness and she would not.

He approached once more and held her chin again. He was staring at her angrily.

"WHERE IS HE?"

"I already told you!"

"What am I going to do with you, huh?" The man said and started down the gun on Regina's clothing. She was still wearing her nightgown. Not those beautiful silk dresses she used to wear before, but more comfortable clothes.

He began to unbutton the buttons of her nightgown and Regina realized what the man was trying to do.

"I already told you not to touch me" she said angrily, and then she spat in his face.

"I think I'll pick up your son, maybe with him here you'll say something!" The man threatened, wiping his face fiercely. He was now shaking with rage.

Regina felt her heart freeze. _Not Henry. He can't hurt Henry._

"No, please!" She began to cry and her strong woman mask disappeared before him.

"This is the last time I'll ask, Regina, or your precious son will pay for your mistake. WHERE-IS-MY-FATHER?"

"HE'S DEAD!" The woman yelled and widened her own eyes when she realized she had spoken it aloud.

"What?" The man turned to her with his eyes wide, hands shaking and very nervous. "What did you just say?"

"HE'S DEAD!" Regina shouted once more.

The man looked at her and Regina had no time to react when he hit her forehead with a gun butt. With the blow, she fainted with an open wound on her forehead and blood started to flow through the wound.

"What have I done?" The man spoke aloud.

* * *

**SO? What did you think? Please, let me know!**

**Leave me reviews! Follow and Favorite!**

**See ya! And I promisse I'll try to update soon as possible.**

**Bárbara**


	27. Chapter 27 - I'll Find Her

**Hi, everybody! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I get this chapter ready two days ago and I just wanted to post it tomorrow, but I couldn't wait anymore. So, here it is.**

**To MeMirellaVieira; Yes, it's really sad, but I'll warn you, there's more coming soon! See ya! ;)**

**To EvilRegalTwinnies; Thank you so much! About your question... MAYBE! haha ;) See ya pretty!**

**To Marina Masterson; Oh, "Tamara es una putana" haha Thank you for your constant support! And, I'm sure, you'll not read my other story! ;) MAYBE someday... see ya! AH, and thank you for helping me with my writer's block!**

**To CCangel; Yep, he is OH WAIT! He'll be, but now, I'm afraid Regina and the girls are the only in really deep trouble and in danger. I miss your reviews! See ya!**

**To anapcmesquita; Migs I'm so sad. You asked me just one thing and I'm so sorry, but I can't give you that. BUT, keep with me! You'll have your beautiful moments soon, not too soon, but soon. See ya, love u!**

**To StorybrookeGirl; First of all... THANK YOU! and about your thought, I can't answer you, but you'll discover it soon! I promisse... and don't worry... the drama and angst will be everywhere! ;)**

**To Gotapenname; Thank you for being with me all this time... I love reading your reviews and when you reblog me on tumblr HAHA ;) See you!**

**To Ailec-12; Don't worry about making me wait! Thank you for getting time to review me... you are with me since first chapter haha See ya, my favorite reader, and I do hope you like this chapter! kisses**

**To Annie; Hey, this chapter was just different! I didn't have you around send me your opinion and correcting me. It was so strange. But I do hope you like this chapter and keep with me! See you, beautiful *-***

**To Kristy Priest; Thank you so much for being my new beta reader! See you!**

**Now, go have a little fun... enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 27 – I'LL FIND HER

Regina was feeling bad. Her head was throbbing like hell and she was very uncomfortable. Her back ached, she was feeling nauseous and dizzy. She did not know what time it was, or whether if it was day or night. Her eyes ached and her throat too. After some time, she realized she was in a moving car. Trying her best to focus her vision, she squinted and looked around.

"Who are you?" She asked the unknown man beside her.

The man gave a confused look at the woman.

* * *

With Ruby's help, Emma managed to find the place where Regina was kept.

"I'm sure, Emma. She was here." Ruby said.

"But it's an abandoned house. Who would keep her here?" Emma asked.

"I have no idea, I just hope she's okay." Ruby said "I'll try to continue sniffing her scent. Come on, Perdita, let's go."

Emma nodded and was about to speak when her mobile phone started ringing.

"Emma Swan. What? How did she leave town? How do you know that?" Emma asked with wide eyes.

"Who left town? Regina?" Ruby turned when she heard Emma's concerned voice. "We have to find her!"

"I'm coming!" Emma said and hung up.

"Emma, who was it?"

"Gold. He said Regina left town."

"How does he know that? How would she leave? She will lose her memories if she does, won't she?" Ruby started asking a lot of questions, but was interrupted by Emma.

"I don't know, Ruby. I'm going to talk to Gold!"

"I'll go with you!"

* * *

"So how do you know that?" Emma asked as she entered the store being followed by David and Ruby.

"I can feel it. About an hour ago I felt it. The city has lost a bit of its magic. There are only three plausible reasons for this. If the city is losing magic, which is not the case, if someone powerful crosses the city line, or if someone who is not part of fairy tales get into the city. I think Regina is the most plausible explanation for this!" Mr. Gold said.

"What happens to her if she leaves? Will she lose her memories?" David asked worriedly.

"No. She will not lose her memories because she has magic. The curse was created in such a way that when a person crosses the boundaries of the city, it loses something. People who don't have magic lose their memories, but those who have magic lose their magic and their memories remain intact." Mr. Gold said.

"So we have to go after her, she is helpless without magic. We have to find out who did it and why!" Ruby said.

Emma was distraught. _Damn!_ She had doubts. Regina no longer had her magic, it means she has lost her memories? That was not good, it could not be good. She had to find Regina as soon as possible.

"I'm going after her!" Emma said, turned her back and started walking toward the door.

"I'll go with you" Ruby offered.

"Me too" David said soon after.

"You can't leave town. You will lose your memories!" Emma almost cried. "I'm going to tell Archie what is happening, he is distressed and worried, but I'll find her."

* * *

"I found you on the roadside. You were unconscious. Your hands were tied and your forehead was bleeding. I think someone tried to hurt you, are you okay? Do you remember what happened?" The man asked.

Regina just shook her head. She does not remember anything, her memory was a blur.

"You want to go to the hospital? I think you need a doctor."

And for the first time, she looked down and was startled by what she saw. "I'm pregnant? What is happening? I'm pregnant." She said with wide eyes, confusion bathing her features.

"Don't you remember what happened? You must have hit your head very hard, what's your name?" He asked.

Then the despair seized her. She could not remember her own name. Everything was white, as if they had cleared everything up until the moment she woke up in that car next to that unknown man.

He saw the desperation in her eyes.

"You don't know, do you?" He asked and she nodded slowly. "I'll take you to a hospital."

An awkward silence invaded the atmosphere of the car.

"I'm hungry." she whispered embarrassed.

"We can stop to eat, I think there is a snack bar near here." he replied and smiled at her.

"What is your name?"

The man looked at her, smiled and calmly replied "Greg. My name is Greg Mendel."

* * *

"I'm going to look for her, Archie. I promise I'll find her, I'm not coming back until I find her." Emma repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time. Archie was desperate, worried and heartbroken.

"I'll go with you... I have to find her. What if she's hurt? What if something happens to her? What if someone hurt her or my children? They need me, Emma. I can't stay here" he said, tears falling freely down his face.

"I have already explained to you, Archie. You can't go. How will you help me find her, if you don't know who you are?"

"But I can't stay here..."

"I know, but I need you here. You need to help me. People are getting confused and worried. They are going crazy and you will help me. You, David and Snow will take care of the city and reassure people while Regina and I get back, okay?" She asked looking at him intently.

"But-"

"Archie, no 'buts'. I'm going soon. I'll just go home and get some clothes. I'll find her. Now, can you help me? I can count on you while I'm gone?"

The man just nodded.

"Okay. I'm going then." Emma stood up and started walking toward Archie's office door.

"Emma?" The man called and the woman stopped to look at him. "You promise me you'll always let me know? Promise me I'll know everything that's going on, no matter what it is?"

"I promise you, Archie. Of course I promise." She smiled and left.

* * *

"I'll go with you, she is my mother!" Henry was shouting angrily through his tears.

"Henry, I already told you that it is dangerous. You're not going with me!" Emma yelled back. She had already decided.

David had already explained to Snow everything that was happening. She was concerned. Not just because of Regina, but also because of her babies. The couple was watching the fight between Henry and Emma. When they were about to stop them, a knock was heard.

Snow ran to open the door and was surprised by who was on the other side.

"Mr. Gold?" Snow asked confused.

Upon hearing the man's name, Emma headed toward the door, staying a few steps behind David and Snow.

"Do you remember that favor you owe me, Miss Swan?" Gold asked.

"Yes" Emma replied hesitantly.

"I'm cashing it in" he said. Emma always waited for this moment. She knew this favor would not be good, but now was a bad time.

"It's not a good-" Emma began, but was interrupted.

"You do honor your agreements, don't you?" Gold questioned.

"Yes... but I need to find Regina, you know that. I'm going out of town-"

"I also need to find someone, so don't worry. Finish packing your bags, then we can leave." Gold said.

"Leave?" Snow asked confused.

"Where?" Henry asked, dragging himself to get behind Emma.

"Wait. Find someone? Who?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"My son. I'll meet you in two hours, be ready." He replied and turned quickly, disappearing down the stairs.

* * *

After stopping at a roadside diner, Regina continued her path beside the man she only knew the name of. She was more than tired. Hours just looking at the landscape between cities. Her head was aching and she fell asleep in the car.

* * *

A knock on the door is heard and Emma ran to open it.

"Ready to go, Miss Swan?" Gold said on the other side of the door.

"Almost"

"Do you think it will be cold where we're going or warm?" Henry asked as he approached pulling a suitcase.

"I think layers are a good idea"

"I thought that the terms of our agreement were quite clear. You owe me a favor. You alone."

"I'm not leaving Henry alone here, we both go, or we both stay" Emma said decisively. She had changed her mind the moment Gold left the apartment, hours ago. She would not leave Henry alone, she wanted to keep an eye on him all the time and, moreover, the boy could help find his mother.

"We'll have to buy another plane ticket, huh?" Gold said. He knew that if Emma had decided that Henry would go along, the boy would go along.

"Wait. We're flying?" Emma asked.

"Don't worry. I'll pay the expenses even the new ones" Gold says mockingly.

"You're a gentleman, aren't you?" Charming says down the stairs with another suitcase in hand.

"No, wait!" Emma interrupts. "We're not going by plane, we'll drive, we are also looking for Regina, don't forget that. I'm sure she's not walking around in planes" Emma replied a little irritated.

"I don't care, I know where my son is and we're going there. With Regina or not." Gold said, and prepared to leave.

"Gold, you're leaving here with my family. I want to know if anything happens..." David began.

"Or you'll what? Cross the town line? And then David Nolan will hunt me in his animal rescue van?"

"I would be devastated. This is not a threat. It is a request. Take care of them."

"I promise no harm will come to your family. After all... We have a deal." Gold said and left.

* * *

"So, where're we going?" Henry asked sitting in the back seat of the car.

"To find my son"

"And Regina. We will stop at each place and ask for her, if necessary. I will not let anything happen to her" Emma said quickly and won an exalted look from Mr. Gold, but he remained silent.

They crossed the city line and a bright blue light enveloped Mr. Gold's body, disappearing seconds later. Emma and Henry looked worried.

"So?" Emma asked, looking intently at Mr. Gold.

"My name is Rumplestilskin." he replied, never taking his eyes off the road and made a face slightly annoyed when he wiggled his fingers and nothing happened. He was without magic. "And we're gonna find my son!"

Emma sighed in relief. Relieved? She still did not know if that was a good or bad thing, but she would find out.

* * *

"Hey, wake up!" Greg shook Regina from her sleep. It took a few seconds before the woman began to stir, murmuring sleepily. "Come on, lady. You need to wake up."

"Hum... Hi" She sighed wearily, the bright sunlight invading and momentarily blinding her eyes. "Where am I? Are we not going to the hospital?" She asked a bit confused, looking at the tall apartment buildings beside her.

"Yes" the man quickly replied. "But I need to go home first, my girlfriend is there, you don't want to go with me? She wants to meet you, she can help you too... you know... she is woman, she is better with these things" he said pointing to her belly.

Innocently, Regina nodded and the man helped her out of the car. They made their way into one of the buildings, climbed a few flights of stairs (many, in Regina's opinion) and arrived in front of a door. When the man knocked, a woman opened the door and her smile grew wide when she put her eyes on Regina.

"Tamara" Greg said and wrapped the woman in his arms. "I missed you" He spoke in her ear. Regina just watched the scene.

"She must be the woman you told me about." Tamara said approaching Regina. "I'm Tamara and you?"

"I... I actually don't remember my name." she sighed embarrassed, looking at the floor.

Tamara stared at Greg. How can't she remember her own name? She wasn't like the other citizens of the city. She should not lose her memory, she has magic. Something is wrong.

She recovered quickly from her shock and asked the woman to come into her apartment. Regina gladly accepted and the three made their way into the apartment.

* * *

"There!" Emma pointed. "Let's stop there and ask if anyone saw Regina. It's the only snack bar I've seen since we left Storybrooke." she explained.

Mr. Gold snorted a bit, but did as he was told. The three got out of the car and Emma went to the counter. She grabbed her cell phone and showed Regina's photo (taken by Archie a few weeks ago) to one of the waitresses.

"Have you seen this woman? She maybe came today? We're looking for her, she is missing."

The waitress took a good look at the picture and denied having seen the woman, so she called the previous turn waitress and showed the photo.

"She was here a few hours ago... She is pregnant, isn't she?" The waitress asked and Emma nodded hastily.

"Where is she? Was she okay? Who was with her?" Emma started making a lot of questions.

"What happened to her?" The waitress asked, noting the concern in Emma's eyes.

"She was kidnapped. So, can you tell me who was with her? A man or a woman? She was okay?"

"She came here with a man. She had a cut on her forehead and she seemed very confused and frightened. And she was starving." the woman said with a smile that vanished with the desperation in Emma's voice.

"With a man? What does he look like?"

"I don't know if I can help you, I didn't pay much attention to him, but the woman caught my attention. She was totally lost. He was tall, white and had green eyes, I think, or they were blue? Excuse me, I don't remember the color of his eyes."

Emma sighed heavily. _She was totally lost._ _Damn! She must have lost her memory. I have to find her._ A million thoughts going through the blonde's mind and suddenly she joined... what if the guy was Greg? He disappeared from town and he is the only one who could get out without losing memories. She grabbed her cell phone and searched desperately for a picture of the man. She found one and showed it to the waitress.

"Is this him? Is this the guy who was with her?"

"Yes! It's him, I remember clearly. I'm sure that it was him."

Emma thanked her and went to the table where Henry and Mr. Gold were sat eating.

"We need to go, she was here. Greg kidnapped her!"

"The guy in the car accident? What would he want with Regina?" Mr. Gold said.

"My mom is okay?" The boy asked worriedly.

"At least when she was here she was fine. And I don't know what he wants with her, Gold, but I don't want to wait to see. The waitress told me something about a snack bar for a few hours here. She heard Greg saying to Regina. Come on, let's not waste time."

* * *

"Are you hungry?" Tamara asked the woman who was sitting idly on the couch.

Regina denied although she was hungry, but she did not know the woman and something seemed strange. She did not feel comfortable and much less safe.

"Okay, then. You want a juice, water, something to drink?" She asked again, smiling at the woman.

"Water would be nice, please."

Tamara nodded and soon brought her a glass of water. She sat at the other end of the couch and Greg sat in an armchair in front of the women. They began to talk. Tamara was watching every move, every detail of the powerful woman she had seen in videos. Within minutes, Regina felt weakened, she was feeling sleepy and the darkness was clouding her thoughts, again. Something was wrong. She could hardly keep sitting, she was dizzy.

"What is happening?" Regina asked confused.

"You'll find out soon." Tamara said with a disturbing smile. It was the last image that Regina saw before falling back into the darkness.

* * *

"No one saw her." Emma said when she left another roadside diner. It was the third and she still did not know anything about Regina, just that Greg was with her.

"How are we going to find my mom?" Henry asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Henry." Emma said with a small smile "But we'll find her. I promise!"

"I know where my son is. We're going to find him." Mr. Gold says.

"What about Regina? We have to find her first, Gold. You know that!" Emma almost cried.

"Miss Swan, calm down. My son will take us to her." The man replied and continued attention on the road ahead.

"How do you know that?" Emma asked, frowning in confusion.

"Magic."

* * *

**So? What you thought? Let me know what are you thinking...**

**In the next: This is going to be so dramatic... I want to warn you, things is not going to be beautiful with Regina and the two bastards, Greg and Tamara. Want to try to guess what is going to happen? I'm all ears**

**Any doubts, suggestions or request... just let me know!**

**See you!**

**Barbara ;)**


	28. Chapter 28 - I Want Your Magic

**Hi, guys. Sorry for the delay, I was planning posting it yesterday, but the internet didn't help me.**

**Well, I want to explain some things before you read this chapter.** **I like to use some scenes from the show, but my story is not following the chronology of Once Upon a Time. You are going to see that this chapter contains a lot of "Manhattan" and "The Queen is Dead."** **I would like to use Emma, Henry and Gold exactly as happened in the episode 2x14, but without all that crap of Henry calling Regina as "Regina" and not as "mom".** **And Hook is not going after Rumple in Manhattan.**

**To michele puretachi; Que bom que você está toda ansiosa e curiosa sobre o que vai acontecer, isso é sinal de que estou fazendo bem o meu trabalho ;) Sobre sua pergunta, não pretendo me aprofundar sobre a "organização" para qual eles trabalham, mas eu prometo que você vai amar o que vem pela frente, pelo menos eu espero! haha Obrigado pelos reviews, é sempre um prazer ler a sua opinião.**

**To StorybrookeGirl; Haha Well, your suggestion was really tragic haha ;) As I already told you, I'm not going to do that, buuut, please, keep with me! I do hope you like what I'm doing. See ya.**

**To EvilRegalTwinnies; Hey... You got really close! Haha Don't worry, I get all your PM's and I agree with you! See ya ;) Thank you for take time to review me;)**

**To CCangel; Thank you so much! Sorry I didn't take Archie with them... but townline trouble, you know!**

**To cristina 134213; Muito muito obrigada! Adorei saber que minha história é tão legal de ler ;)**

**To OnceUponABrokenRegal; HAHA, Welcome! I was loving read all your reviews! haha ;) Thank you so much!**

**To Guest; Thank you, in the next, please, leave me your name! ;)**

**To anapcmesquita; just because SHE IS THE SAVIOUR? You'll get you cuteness, wait!**

**To Marina Masterson; I was thinking about that... Regina being save by Emma's true love kiss, what you think? Thank you so much for your biggest review. And yes, Greg and Tamara: two putanos!**

**To Anarra; Thank you, and YES! I can kill them! They deserve it!**

**To Lilly Mills; You reviewed almost all my chapters, I'm so glad. Thank you so much! Ah, uma brasileira a mais... haha ADORO! Sinto muito, mas as meninas e Regina provavelmente estão em perigo. Cruzemos nossos dedos para que tudo dê certo e Emma a encontre bem a tempo.**

**To Ailec; Sorry for the long delay, my favorit reader, but here is it. I hope you like! See ya!**

**To opheliafrump; OMG! Amazing review! Thank you so much!**

**To itspb1; Haha Todos querem expressar seu ódio pela Tamara e Greg, espere um pouco mais, depois desse capítulo você poderá fazer isso corretamente! haha Cora está vindo, eu tenho preparado algo grande para ela, mas você vai ter que esperar um pouco. Beeeijos ;) Obg por estar sempre me deixando seus reviews!**

**To Gotapenname; So, get it! The next chapter, I hope you like! Let me know! See ya.**

**To Kristy; what can I say? THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 28 – I WANT YOUR MAGIC

Regina began to wake up. Once she was able to focus her vision, she began to look at where she was. She did not know where she was, in fact, her mind was a blur of images. She only remembered seeing the road through the window of a car and a generous man who helped her. _Helped? What happened?_ Then, a few small pictures began to form in her mind. _No memory. Pregnant. Road. Help. Greg. Fiancée. Hospital. Water. Smile. White. Darkness._

Regina's eyes widened in horror when she realized what was happening. She tried to get up, and only then she realized that she had one of her hands cuffed to the head of the bed where she was. The room had a large window, but the curtain was limiting the room lighting.

She began to breathe heavily. She did not know why, but she was terrified of being tied, being arrested. It was as if something inside her was screaming to be freed, because the danger was near. She had to leave that place. She did not know what was happening or why she was handcuffed, but it was not a good sign. She was terrified. She pulled the handcuffs again and again. She tried as hard as she could, but the cuff was not moving. The only thing she was getting was a sore wrist.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME, SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!" She started screaming.

After some yelling and many failed attempts to get rid of the handcuffs, Regina could hear footsteps walking towards the door and then immediately, the door opened.

She watched as the man who had helped her, Greg, and his girlfriend entered the room.

"I see you're awake" the woman said coldly.

"What's happening? Why am I stuck here?" Regina began asking questions, the fear was taking over her "Greg, what happened? You said... you said you would take me to the hospital, I believed you." Tears now flowed freely down her face.

Ignoring what the woman had just said, Greg just smirked at Tamara.

"So, show me your magic." Tamara said.

"What?" Regina asked confused, she was sure she had heard wrong.

"You know what I mean, your Majesty" Tamara growled and started walking toward Regina, who instinctively put her hands protectively on her belly.

"Tamara" Greg whispered to the woman "I already told you, she doesn't remember anything."

"She has to remember, she can't simply forget. She is lying." The woman whispered to him and turned her attention back to Regina.

"What do you want?" Regina asked again when she saw the woman approaching her.

Tamara approached Regina dangerously and held her chin with one of her hands, making Regina look at her.

"I know that you know very well what I'm talking about. You can show your magic and I'll not hurt you, not now, and I'll not touch your baby. But if you refuse, I promise, you will regret it" Tamara spat those words and let go of Regina's face, who was looking at her terrified and confused.

"I don't understand. I don't have magic, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play with me."

"I swear, I don't know what you're talking about." Regina cried.

"I'll give you time to think, Regina." Tamara said and soon after, the two left the room.

Soon as they left the room, Regina leaned over the bed and threw up on the floor. The smell of her own vomit came back to her making it even worse. She was not feeling fine.

It was dusk when Greg entered the room again. He was carrying a plate of food for the woman. She was looking at him and her eyes showed the disappointment she was feeling. He felt guilty for a moment, but as soon as he remembered his father, guilt was gone and anger turned to control him.

"You need to eat." he said coldly and put the plate on the table beside the bed, on the side where her arm was handcuffed.

She looked at the plate a bit suspicious. She was hungry, but there was no way for them to make her eat it. Then she laid down on the bed and turned to the other side.

Greg decided to leave the plate of food and get out of the room.

A few hours later, Tamara and Greg appeared again. Regina was asleep, but was awakened by a glass of water being thrown in her face.

Startled, she sat up quickly and focused her vision on the two people in front of her.

"I think you had enough time to think. What will it be?" Tamara asked.

"I already told you. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have magic, it doesn't exist." Regina said.

"It's no use pretending. We know exactly who you are, we saw you using magic, Evil Queen." Tamara screamed.

"Tamara, she doesn't remember, believe me." Greg said in an attempt to calm his lover, but all he got was an angry look.

"Evil Queen?" Regina looked at them incredulously. The Evil Queen is a character and nothing more than that. Children's Stories. "You're crazy!"

"DON'T CALL ME CRAZY!" Tamara screamed. "Show us. We will take your magic from you and kill your child if you don't cooperate." she threatened and Regina's eyes widened in horror.

"Please, I don't know what you're talking about. I swear!"

"Enough of this talk. If you won't obey us, then you will deal with the consequences." the woman said and pulled from her pocket, a weird device.

"What is it?" Regina asked scared.

"If you don't want to get hurt and hurt your baby, you will give us what we're asking for, but if you don't, you will suffer. Magic is unholy."

"BUT I DON'T HAVE MAGIC! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!" Regina shouted desperately.

Before Regina had time to react, the woman approached her and leaned the small equipment against Regina's neck. She screamed when an electric current crossed her body.

Regina fell against the bed. Exasperated breath and fear really taking over her. That woman was going to hurt her, hurt her baby and even kill him because of what? Magic? She was crazy.

"So, your Majesty? What will it be? I gave you a small demonstration of what this little thing can do." Tamara said pointing to the equipment.

"I... I already told you... I don't... I don't know what you... are talking about... I swear." Regina said with difficulty. Greg was just watching everything.

Without warning, the woman approached with the taser again and another scream was heard.

"Please... Please!" Regina cried "Please, stop it. Why are you doing this? What have I done? I told you, I don't know anything. I don't have magic, please, please, you'll hurt my baby." Regina cried.

The shock session lasted the rest of the night. Regina was exhausted and terrified. She did not know if her baby was fine, she could feel him from time to time and she was so worried. The woman said things about "Evil Queen" and "magic", but Regina did not know what to do, she did not have it, she was not that. It does not exist.

The exhaustion, fear and weariness took over her when she fell asleep.

It was morning. Regina woke up with the whispers coming from the other side of the door. It didn't take too long until she recognized the voices of her captors. Despite the headache and dizziness, she was able to focus on what they were saying.

"You said she had magic, you tricked me!"

"Tamara, I told you, something happened to her, she is powerful. Everyone in the damn city is afraid of her. You've seen the videos, I sent videos of her doing magic, I didn't lie to you."

"And why is it not working?"

"I don't know, maybe it's the baby?" Greg asked confused. "I followed her for months, she was teaching a woman to do magic, but her magic began to disappear."

"But it didn't disappear, that's the problem."

"How do you know?"

"A machine that tracks magic. It beeps like crazy when it's around her. She's lying, she has magic!"

"We'll figure it out."

Soon as the man stopped speaking, Regina heard them approaching the door and soon they were in front of the bed.

"So? Have you decided to show us your magic?" Tamara asked.

Regina began to cry. She was tired of it. She had no magic, for God's sake.

"I told you, I don't have magic, please believe me." Regina said openly crying.

"You're lying!" Tamara screamed.

"I swear I'm not lying. I don't have magic, I swear!"

"You know what? Look at that!" Tamara said when she approached a device that looked like a cell. Scared, Regina looked away. "Are you listening?" The woman asked as the beeps emitted by the equipment have become a constant sound. Regina looked at the machine with her eyes wide and terrified. "It shows when I'm close to something magical and it gets crazy when I'm near you."

"I- I swear, I don't know what you're talking about." Regina said.

When Tamara was preparing to give a shock to Regina, the detector slid around Regina's hand and started beeping even stronger, gaining Tamara's attention.

"Why is it stronger?" Greg said.

"I don't know..." Tamara replied grabbing the detector and passing it near Regina's hand. Her eyes widened as she realized that it grew stronger as she approached her ring. "The ring." she pointed out "Give it to me!"

Tamara took Regina's ring and left the room. Greg was right behind her, but stopped half way and looked at the plate of food that was still there, intact.

"You have not eaten anything."

"I want nothing." she replied annoyed.

"You need to eat, Regina. Your baby needs you to eat. You don't want anything bad to happen to him, do you?" The man said, took the plate in his hand and offered it to Regina.

In a moment of rage, she threw the plate on the floor, breaking it and spreading the food all over the place.

"I ALREADY SAID I DON'T WANT ANYTHING!" She screamed.

"You know best. Starve then." He said and left the room.

Regina was left alone and crying. She sighed in relief when she felt the movements of the baby in her belly.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay." she whispered as she wept and stroked her belly.

* * *

"The ring has power? How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but it is not as powerful as she..." Tamara said as she placed the ring on her finger.

"How do you know?"

"Detector."

"What if she's telling the truth? What if she doesn't have magic?"

"So I think that the power is coming from her baby."

"You are not going to hurt the baby, Tamara." Greg said quickly.

"No." She was quick to answer "We will raise him." she whispered.

"What?" Greg asked with wide eyes. No matter what he had against Regina, he would never hurt a baby, NEVER!

"That's right. We'll hold her here until the baby is born and then we'll raise him. I don't think it will take too long, she's huge."

"And what happens to her after that?"

"We kill her."

Greg did not believe what the woman said. He was talking about a baby and his mother. My God, how far was he? He was indeed angry with the woman, and he wanted to kill her, but now his girlfriend was right in front of him talking about killing one person and she did not think twice about it.

It had been two days since Regina was locked in the room. She had not eaten anything and she only drank water because they had forced her. The night was coming. One more night. Tamara and Greg entered the room two more times since morning, but they were no longer hurting her and it was scaring her. They were offering food and water and even asked how she was feeling.

"You have not eaten anything, I said to eat." Tamara said when she brought a new plate of food.

"I'm not hungry." Regina said with low voice.

"But you will eat anyway."

"Why are you caring now? Why are you not hurting me anymore?"

A creepy smile crossed Tamara's mouth and Regina realized that her plans could not be something good. She was planning something bad.

"We don't want anything bad to happen to your baby, do we?" Tamara answered and Regina could feel the malicious tone when she spoke. A shudder crossed her spine. "Now eat." she said and held the plate to the woman sitting uncomfortably in bed.

"I DON'T WANT ANYTHING AND I WILL NOT EAT ANYTHING YOU GIVE ME!" She screamed and threw the plate against the woman, dirtying Tamara's clothes and leaving her extremely angry.

"You bitch. Is that what you want? You will starve, then. I will not bring food to you and if you want to drink water, you'll have to find a way to get it." She said as she grabbed the water bottle and put it on the corner of the table, as far away from Regina as possible. Then, she stormed out leaving Regina alone again.

* * *

"Who is this?" Neal asked confused.

"My son." Emma replied quickly turning her attention to Henry.

"What?" Neal asked incredulously.

"Is that Baelfire?" Henry asked as he stared at the stranger in front of him.

* * *

"This is my son?"

"No, my dad was a fireman. He died." Henry replied and Emma approached him. "That was what you told me. You said..."

"This is..." Neal began, still not believing in the possibility in front of him "...my son?"

Emma did not know what to do. She had lied to Henry. She approached the boy and ran her hands gently on his face.

"Yes." Emma whispered as she had the face of her son in her hands.

Henry was disappointed, he turned away from her and ran out of the apartment. Neal could hardly believe what he was hearing.

* * *

"So... you're my dad." Henry said looking at the landscape ahead.

"Yes."

"I'm Henry."

"Nice to meet you, Henry. Sorry it took so long."

"It's okay, you didn't know."

* * *

Three days passed. Emma, Henry and Mr. Gold were in Neal's apartment. They had told him why they were here and that they were also looking for Regina, the Evil Queen.

They met Tamara, Neal's fiancé. Henry and Emma were almost going crazy, they did not have any signs of Regina until now. Henry was still upset with Emma and the only time the boy was talking to her was when Regina was the subject.

"Gold, you said Neal would take us to Regina, it's been five days and nothing." Emma said irritably.

"Patience, Miss Swan. Patience."

* * *

They were eating lunch when a knock was heard. Neal opened the door and his fiancé appeared. Tamara had come to eat lunch with them and perhaps learns more about her fiancé's son.

Emma and Mr. Gold decided to leave, but when they were coming in the door, Tamara stopped them, insisting that everyone should have lunch together. Emma did not know what it was, but the woman did not seem reliable.

After eating lunch, Henry was sitting with Neal and Tamara, both were chatting when Henry's eyes noticed the ring that Tamara was wearing. He widened his eyes not believing what he was seeing.

"Henry, where are you..." Neal called when the boy got up and ran.

"It's all right, Neal. I think it is not easy for him." Tamara tried to reassure him.

Henry ran into the bedroom where Emma was, opened the door and closed it right then, desperately. After the momentary shock, Emma saw the horror in her son's eyes.

"Henry?"

"She's wearing mom's ring!" The boy whispered exalted.

"What? Who?" Emma asked in confusion.

"My dad's girlfriend, she is wearing mom's ring!" He whispered again.

"Henry." Emma began "There may be millions of rings like hers..."

"NO!" The boy yelled, scaring Emma "That ring is my mom's ring, I'm sure! She's my mom, Emma."

"Henry, we're looking for her, but you do see that we don't have even one trac-"

"THAT IS NOT ENOUGH OF A TRACE FOR YOU?" The boy screamed again. "It's okay if you don't want to believe, I'll find my mom alone!" Henry said and walked towards the door. He was determined and Emma realized that.

"Calm down." Emma grabbed the boy's arm "If we do it, we'll have to do it right."

"How so? Do you believe me?"

"I don't know Henry, but we'll figure it out, ok?" She asked and the boy nodded "We can't go in there and just confront Neal and Tamara. We will follow her, but you can't get too hopeful, Henry. It may be just a ring that looks like your mom's."

Emma did not believe in the possibility of Regina being with Tamara, but she was so desperate for answers, for news, for anything that would take her to Regina that she decided to take a chance.

After she met Henry and all of Storybrooke, she learned to never doubt anything. Fate surprised her numerous times last year. Fate surprised her with Neal and who knows if Fate will surprise her once more.

* * *

Emma and Henry left Neal and Tamara inside the apartment and stood outside waiting for the woman. Emma found herself thinking how crazy she was getting and how it would look if Tamara or Neal discover that they were following the woman. She was pulled from her thoughts by Henry warning her that the brunette was leaving the apartment.

They followed her for almost an hour. She passed on a few places that did not raise suspicions for Emma, and then, they saw her talking on the phone and after that, she completely changed her direction. After a few minutes, the woman got into a car. They tried to recognize the person who was driving the car, but only saw it was a man. They ran to the other street corner and hid behind some tables. Both eyes widened when they saw that the man driving the car was no more, no less than Greg Mendel.

"I told you!" The boy shouted to Emma as he got out of his hiding place.

"Get down here, Henry!" Emma grabbed the boy.

"She is with my mom, we need to follow her!"

"Come with me!" She screamed and grabbed the boy's hand. She pulled him into a taxi and ordered to follow the car.

A few minutes later, there they were. Greg and Tamara were talking in front of a complex of apartments while Henry and Emma watched carefully. Emma's mind was being flooded with questions. _Where they met? How did they meet? Does Tamara already know about Storybrooke?_ Then an idea came into her mind. I_s Tamara the "she" in Greg's phone?_ As soon as Greg took a step closer and kissed Tamara, the doubt left Emma's mind.

They made their way into the building and did not realize they were being followed. After a few flights of stairs, Emma and Henry were in front of a door that had just been closed._ What if Regina is really there?_

"Do you think mom's in there?"

"I don't know, Henry, but we'll find out."

"How?" The boy asked worried and hopeful at the same time.

"I still don't know."

"Neal can help!" Henry said excitedly.

"No!" Emma almost cried. "He can't know that, he will not believe us."

They returned to the apartment, the two of them were frustrated. They needed a plan as soon as possible. They worked on it and had various ideas that would be put into place the next day.

* * *

"Can you ask her to have lunch here? I think I was rude to her and I would love to know her better, after all she is my dad's girlfriend." Henry asked Neal.

"Thank you, Henry. This is very important for me." Neal thanked him and ran to call Tamara to come have lunch with them. It was not long until the woman agreed.

Plan in Action.

Emma took advantage that Henry was talking to Neal and left. As agreed, when Tamara came to lunch with them, Emma received a message saying that the "coast was clear".

Arriving in front of the building, Emma needed to know if Greg was in the apartment and if he was, she needed to find a way to get the man out. She needed to enter the apartment and look for Regina or anything that would lead her to the woman.

After thinking for a while, she could not think of anything. She had only one thought in her mind and it was her only chance, it had to work.

She took a large stone in one hand and an iron bar in another and looked at the car parked on the street. _Sorry about this._ And then, she threw the stone at the car, breaking the glass and began to beat it with the iron bar. She had to admit it. She did a great damage in so little time. Soon, the car alarm started ringing. She ran and called the interphone of the apartment that she knew the man was in. She waited for him to answer and pretended a voice.

"Your car... someone is breaking into your car."

She just had to wait some time and the man came flying through the door. She did not wait to see his reaction, she just ran up the stairs as fast as her legs and her breathing allowed.

Luckily for her, the door was unlocked. He should have gone so desperate that he did not bother to lock it. She came in and started looking for any sign of Regina. She even called the woman a few times, but no answer came.

Emma began searching through the rooms of the apartment. She found all the doors unlocked, but nothing led to Regina. Then there was the last door, the last chance. Emma closed her eyes as she placed her hand on the doorknob, but was surprised when she found the door locked. Her heart jumped. She ran through the house to find anything that could help her to open the door. A key, a staple, a knife, anything. She found a clip. _The old habits never die_. She did it, she opened the door.

She did not know if she was prepared for what she saw. She did not know if she was happy or sad. She did not know if she was relieved or had more reason to worry.

* * *

**So? What you think Emma just found out? Is Regina okay? And the babies? I would love to read your opinions...**

**See ya, Thank all of you who are reading this.**

**In the next, we'll see... ah, I can't tell you ;)**

**Bárbara**


	29. Chapter 29 - Once Upon a Time

**Hey, here is chapter 29 and I do hope you enjoy it. This chapter was one of my favorites. A long time ago, someone ask me more interation between Regina and Mr. Gold and I was waiting for a right moment and I think here is it. Let me know if I get it right!**

**To EvilRegalTwinnies; Hey sweet! You was the first to review the last chapter, thank you! I love your interation in this story, I love your PM's haha ;) Please, keep with me! See ya! AAAnd I hope you like this chapter ;)**

**To emanu cristina; O que eu posso dizer? Eu fiquei tão feliz lendo sua review. Não conseguia parar de mostrar para as minhas amigas! Sério, você me deixou MEGA feliz, você não tem noção. É muito mais cativante escrever essa história sabendo que tem gente por aí que está gostando tanto assim. O suspense faz parte, né? As vezes, até eu mesma fico me contorcendo para não postar tudo o que já tenho escrito! Não se preocupe, acho que você não vai morrer antes das meninas nascerem ;) De novo, muito muito obrigada! Eu adoraria receber seu review mias vezes!**

**To CCangel; Maybe the whole "going to go all Evil Queen on Tamara and Greg" will need to wait, but don't worry, I assure you, you'll get it! Thanx for reviewing me! See ya soon and I do hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**To StorybrookeGirl; Hey, it's not fair... I had told you what was NOT going on to happen haha That make it just so easy to you! Haha Enjoy this chapter ;)**

**To Gotapenname; hey... Thank you for being with me here a long time ago and for always rebloging my fanfiction on tumblr. I love your support! See ya!**

**To opheliafrump; haha Sorry for the delay, but I already explained it to you by PM ;) thank you, by the way, for the really big support!**

**To anapcmesquita; miga, this one don't have "romance", but it contain a little cuteness and I do hope you enjoy it. I really want to show you that it is possible to write something beautiful even if it is not romance! Thank you for always getting a time to read this and to review me! It is very important to me! See ya! ;***

**To Marina Masterson; Você me deve duas reviews! Uma para o capítulo passado, que você não deixou (#chateada) e outra para o capítulo de hoje! ;) kisses xoxo**

**To Cristina134213; Muito obrigada pela review! Vocês, brasileiros, estão me deixando tão contentes! Nós somos uma legião de brasileiros nesse site e eu nem tinha percebido isso até postar essa história e receber esse tipo de review! Obrigada!**

**To OnceUponABrokenRegal; Please, don't freak out, YET! haha Thanx! I hope you like this chapter, let me know! ;***

**To Brittany; Hey, sorry about the delay! haha Here is it! Please, enjoy! ;)**

**To Guest; HEy, it's just starting! See ya!**

**To Ailec; Sorry for the delay! haha See you, sweet! Hey, I almost forget to say... HI, MY FAVORITE READER!**

**To michele puretachi ; Aqui está o próximo capítulo e eu espero mesmo que não te decepcione! Por favor, deixe-me saber o que você achou, sua opinião tem se tornado tão importante. Eu fico esperando para ver se você não vai comentar no capítulo, está virando um vício! haha ;***

**To Lilly Mills; Espero responder todas as suas perguntas aqui! Ei, você é minha cópia? Tamara vagab***! Adorei! Mais uma coisa, você sabe que Lilly vai ser uma das formas carinhosas que Lillian será chamada, né? haha *-* Acho que é por isso que eu amo o seu nome!**

**To Kristy; My terrific beta reader, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO THANK YOU ENOUGH!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

CHAPTER 29 – ONCE UPON A TIME

There she was. Regina was there, lying on the bed in a dark room. Emma ran to the woman and began to call her. The despair was flooding her thoughts.

"Regina. Regina?" She shook her and after a few attempts, the woman awoke with a start.

"Please don't hurt me."

Emma was not prepared for that. She realized she was not prepared to see Regina in that way. This woman did not look anything like the woman she knew, like the strong woman, annoying and imposing. Rather, Regina looked tired, fragile and vulnerable.

Just then, Emma began to notice the details around her. There was food thrown on the floor, a cup of water broken and water spilled on a table that was out of reach of Regina's hands. The room was stinking and she realized there was vomit dried beside Regina's bed. What did they do with her? Her forehead was cut. And then Emma looked at the woman's hands. She was handcuffed. _SHE IS HANDCUFFED!_ Emma's mind was spinning furiously. They had hurt her. Emma was pulled from her thoughts by Regina's movements.

"It's okay, it's just me." Emma tried to calm the frightened woman.

Then, she let the reality sink into her. Regina was still looking at her with terrified eyes. She realized, she could tell that Regina did not know who she was.

"Regina, I'm getting you out of here, okay?"

"Please, don't hurt me." Regina repeated with tears of fear starting to appear in her eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to get you out, okay?" She said as she searched with her eyes for the handcuff key. "Regina, where's the key?"

Unfortunately, Regina was not much help. Emma realized that she was not paying much attention to her, in fact, she was not paying much attention to anything. She seemed lost and unfocused.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma lifted the woman's chin so she could look in her eyes. Damn! "Come on, Regina, stay with me ok?" She tried to keep her attention. "Where are the keys? Do you know where the key is?"

"I don't know, it's with him." Regina replied sleepily.

_Damn! How will I get the key? What the fuck!_

Emma was scared. She was afraid for the woman before her. She took the clip used to open the door and tried desperately to unlock the handcuffs, but it did not work.

After many failed attempts to unlock the handcuffs, Emma saw the tracks of dried blood that made its way through Regina's arm. Her pulse was cut due to tightening of the handcuffs and probably due to the numerous attempts to escape. At that moment, the woman wanted to kill Greg and Tamara. She was furious. _How can they do this to her? How could they hurt a pregnant woman? She is pregnant, for God's sake!_

"I'll get you out of here, I promise." Emma kept repeating this mantra as she tried desperately to find a solution to get rid of the handcuffs. Then, the sound of the front door was heard and Emma saw when Regina's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't leave me here, please." Regina began to cry and beg for the unknown woman in front of her when she saw the blonde move away from the bed to the door.

"No." Emma turned quickly and stared the woman, trying to pass as much confidence as she could. "I'm not leaving. I said I'll get you out and I will." She forced a smile and ran toward the door. She looked at Regina, who was still looking at her with fear and put her index finger in front of her mouth, motioning for the woman to be silent.

Emma took an old lamp that was in the corner of the room and threw it to the ground, causing a crash and scaring Regina. She took a hanger and was waiting when she heard footsteps and a voice approaching the door.

Everything happened very fast. The man entered the room to check on Regina and as soon as he came through the door, he was greeted by a huge blow to his head. Emma watched as the hanger dismounted in the man's head.

"You bastard!" Emma screamed and kicked the man a few times before approaching the unconscious man to seek the key to unlock Regina. It did not take too long. She found the key and went to Regina, who was watching the scene stunned and frightened.

"Let's get out of here, we need to leave now!" Emma said and helped Regina get up and walk.

Emma realized that Regina was walking slowly and she often seemed to want to yield to her weight. They managed to leave the building and for the first time Emma really looked at Regina. The light momentarily blinded Regina, after all, she was locked in a dark room for days.

Regina was walking, being supported by Emma and with one hand resting protectively on her belly. Suddenly, Emma's cell phone started ringing.

"Hey, kid... She's with me, Henry. I found her, she's fine, she's right here by my side." Emma said while calling a taxi. "No, I'm taking her home, don't worry, but you have to be quiet okay? Don't say anything to Neal. Ok, see you soon, love you."

* * *

The door opened to reveal Emma and Regina. Both, Neal and Mr. Gold, were flabbergasted.

"Mom?" Henry ran and threw himself into Regina's arms. "Are you okay?" The boy was on the verge of tears at seeing his mother in that state.

"Take it easy, Henry. She..." Emma said, looking at Regina who was staring at her as if not understanding anything. "... She doesn't remember anything, but we'll fix it, ok?"

"You don't remember me?" Henry turned to her with sad eyes.

Regina just looked at the boy. She was sad, this boy came to her calling her mom and she didn't even remember him. And, above all, she felt dirty, she was hungry, thirsty, and most of all, she was tired and scared.

"This is Regina?" Neal approached, helping the woman to sit on the couch.

"How did you find her?" Mr. Gold asked, watching the woman.

Emma and Henry looked at each other knowing what was coming. Neal would never believe that Tamara was involved and they had to get Regina to a hospital, but it had to be in Storybrooke. They would never let her go with people who she knows with no identification documents.

"My little sisters are fine?" Henry asked, sitting next to his mother and putting his little hands on Regina's belly.

And, her eyes widened again. Emma can't contain the smile that came over her features. This must have been the same reaction when Regina had found out about the twins.

"Little sisters? What are you talking about? What... what... that means..." Regina was stuttering and Henry was looking at her face, contorted in confusion. It still was new to him that his mother had no memory of anything.

"That means you are pregnant with twins. Two girls, to be more specific." Emma replied.

All of them watched when Regina started crying. She was looking at her belly and caressing gently as if she might break it.

"Are you hungry?" Emma asked.

Emma watched Regina's eyes grow uncertain. _Fear_. Emma could see it in her eyes.

"Hey, you can trust me, you can trust us, no one will hurt you." Emma said and Henry was there, holding her hand as if his life depended on it.

"I... I want to bathe... I'm dirty." Regina whispered and lowered her eyes. Everyone saw that she was feeling embarrassed.

"Ok, let me help you... come here." Emma offered her hand and took the woman to a room.

After delivering an outfit that they had brought for her, Regina was bathing and Emma returned to talk to the three men who were waiting in the room. She would have many questions to answer.

* * *

Before talking to the men, Emma remembered about Archie. She had spoken to him and her parents every day, but she had promised that if anything happened, if she found Regina, she would call Archie immediately. And she did. She advised that she had found her and would be taking her home the next day. She declined to give further details, not wanting to let the man be more scared than he already was.

She made her way to the living room.

"So, you owe us answers." Mr. Gold said.

"Ok! You are telling me that that woman... she is the Evil Queen?" Neal asked incredulously._ That woman did not seem to be someone so evil._

"First of all, she doesn't remember who she is. I... I think she may not know anything about magic and the Evil Queen. She'll be terrified. They were trying to steal her magic." Emma explained.

"But how did she lose her memory? She has magic." Mr. Gold said.

"No. She doesn't." Emma scolded herself when she realized she had let it slip aloud.

"How so?" Mr. Gold said staring at her defiantly.

"She has no magic. Not anymore. Her magic has weakened over time and began to disappear." Emma explained.

"But... This is impossible, she's the key, she can't lose her magic." Mr. Gold was digressing.

"Key?" Henry asked confused. Emma and Neal were looking as confused as Henry.

Mr. Gold realized his mistake. No one should ever know. Belle and he were the only ones and Regina should discover on her own. He tried to change the subject.

"I think our Queen must be starving, what will she eat? I don't see anyone doing anything." Mr. Gold said.

"Wait! You haven't told us with whom and where she was." Neal interrupted.

And, it was Emma's turn to evade the issue.

"I'll get her something to eat." She replied and left, Henry soon after her.

* * *

It had been over an hour since Regina was locked in the bathroom taking a shower and Neal had returned with a soup for her. In a way, they were all apprehensive.

"Regina? Are you okay?" Emma said knocking on the bathroom door.

After a few seconds, Emma heard a sniffle and the answer came.

"I... I'm fine, I'm getting out." Regina said from inside the bathroom.

It did not take two minutes and Regina was out of the bathroom. Her hair was soaked and her eyes were puffy and red from crying. She seemed so small, so fragile and vulnerable and, yet, so lost.

Emma took her to a bedroom and helped her. She improvised a bandage to her wrist and took care of her cut on her forehead. Then she took Regina to the table and made her sit down and eat. Henry sat beside her, looking curiously at everything she was doing, for each expression on her face. Emma was sitting on the opposite side and it was possible to see the frightened look in Regina's eyes. The other two adults were watching the scene from afar.

Regina did not eat all her food, in fact, she ate much less than Henry expected. Even Emma realized that. Then, she asked to go to sleep and Emma indicated the room. Once the woman left, the other two men approached the table and a heated discussion began.

"What have they done with my mom? She would not even eat. She doesn't look like herself." Henry started getting worried.

"She needs time, Henry, she-" Emma was interrupted.

"-I want to know who _they_ are!" Mr. Gold said irritably.

Knowing that the conversation would be a touchy subject for Neal, Emma decided that he should know first.

"Neal, I... we need to talk." Emma said nodding to the door of the apartment.

"Ok." He nodded and started walking.

"Henry, can you take care of your mom for me? I won't be taking too long, can you do that?" Emma asked and the boy nodded in approval. Then she turned to Mr. Gold "I can also trust you, right? We have a deal, I did my part, and you're not going to hurt her, are you?" Emma asked with pleading eyes.

"No. What good would it do if she doesn't even remember who she is?" He replied sarcastically.

Thus, Emma and Neal left. It would be a long and uncomfortable conversation.

* * *

Henry was keen to get into his mom's bedroom several times and make sure she was okay. After what seemed like the thousandth time, Mr. Gold stopped the boy and offered to go look after her, even getting a suspicious look from Henry.

He knocked on the door and entered. She was lying down and he could see the apprehension in her eyes when he appeared.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." He said quietly.

She did not move and he approached. Just then he noticed the exhausted look she had.

"You should sleep, you look exhausted."

It was annoying to him to see her like this. He was used to seeing her as the powerful and Evil Queen, as the ruthless mayor of Storybrooke and now she was just a little scared girl.

"You can't sleep, can you?" He asked, pulling out a chair and sitting next to her. And, for the first time, she seemed to respond to his questions. She nodded slightly.

"I'm scared." She whispered.

Looking at her now, he saw in her eyes the frightened and pure child she once was. She had a blanket covering her whole body to just above the nose, her eyes and hair were the only things to show.

"What did they do to you, Regina?"

She looked at him, an internal battle was going on in her mind. Trust him or not? But the man looked worried. Maybe she should take a chance, this man was with her son, and she could trust him, right?

"They kept saying that I have magic..." She began to speak softly. "But I don't have it." She cried. "They kept saying that I'm the Evil Queen and they wanted my magic, but I don't have it... there is no magic, the Evil Queen doesn't exist, it's all a fairy tale."

"Who are they?"

"They are crazy... she is evil. If there is an Evil Queen, then she's the one... and the man, I trusted him, but he was working with her. I don't know what they wanted." She was whimpering and sobbing quietly, her body and half her face were still childishly hidden under the sheets.

"The man is called Greg, right?"

"How do you know?" Her eyes widened.

"Miss Swan told me, but I can't remember the woman's name." He said. If Emma was not going to tell him the whole story, he would find his own way.

He watched as Regina relaxed in his words and said. "Tamara."

His eyes widened. Tamara? It is not possible, there is not only one Tamara, and it's just a coincidence, right? So why did Emma insist on talking to Neal first? _Damn!_

"Are you okay, sir?" Regina said extending a hand to touch his arm. Her eyes were looking at him with concern.

"Yes." He blinked, coming out of his reverie. "Do you want to hear a story?" He asked and didn't wait for an answer. "A different story about the Evil Queen we all read in books."

She looked at him thoughtfully. She was exhausted but could not sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she could hear Greg and Tamara's voice calling her Evil Queen and screaming about her magic.

"Maybe you could get some sleep?" He offered a reassuring smile. And after some time thinking, she nodded slowly.

"Once upon a time, there was a man and he had a son. Unfortunately, this man was too cowardly. He loved his son and wanted to defend him, but he couldn't. He used the power of the darkness and became the Dark One. His son didn't recognize him anymore. He was crazy and totally possessed by evil. He wanted revenge on all who had humiliated him before and he did. One day, his son found a way to get rid of magic, to rid the man of all dark magic that flowed through his veins, but the man chose the magic instead of his precious son and he lost him forever." Mr. Gold told and saw that Regina was paying attention to his every word.

"What was his name?"

"Rumpelstiltskin." He said and continued. "So this man got a plan to get his son back and because of him, the story of the Evil Queen exists. Before she was a Queen, she was a pure and innocent woman and he distorted it."

"So the Evil Queen wasn't really bad? She wasn't born evil?" Regina asked.

"Really, Regina, every good fairy tale needs a villain..." He replied quietly watching her expressions. "But the villains, my dear, aren't born," and looking deep into Regina's eyes, he added, "they are made." he explained.

She just gave a curious look and her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but all that came out was a simple, "oh". He continued.

"So someone, or several someones, would be responsible for bringing the Evil Queen to this story, the Queen predestined to cast the Dark Curse."

Regina's eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Dark Curse?"

Gold explained the whole story about the curse cast by Regina, always being careful to make clear that it was only a story he had read in a book.

"Like I said, in this fairy tale, others interfered." He explained, after telling Frankenstein and Mad Hatter's story. "But I'll summarize the facts that matter to the outcome of this story. The scapegoat-"

"Wait! What is her name?" Regina asked and a huge smile rose from Mr. Gold's lips.

"You'll not believe in the coincidence, but her name was Regina too."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes were wide with surprise.

"Yes. But as I was talking, the scapegoat, Regina, was given to Rumpelstiltskin through a deal he made with a young lady." Regina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Who was this young lady?"

"Cora, Regina's mother." The man replied.

"She gave up her own daughter?" The woman asked in horror.

"Yes."

"She's a monster!" The woman snapped louder than both were waiting. "And he too. They manipulated her since before she was born, she had no chance against them."

"Calm down, Regina. A monster, maybe, yes," the man said with defiant air, "but not a heartless monster. You want me to continue?"

She nodded and he continued quickly.

"The man made a deal with the young Cora. There was no secret how the woman was ambitious. Her firstborn would belong to him in exchange for a life bathed in wealth and luxury of kingship. Well, it happened and he waited for the right time to lead the girl down the path of darkness. Regina grew, pure and innocent, which was surprising due to the woman who raised her. A heartless woman, who didn't love and never could love. Regina fell in love as any young lady..." At that moment, tears were making its way down Regina's cheeks, but she could not understand why this story touched her this much. "Daniel, his name was Daniel. And this man, knowing Cora well enough, knew that her ambition would play in his favor. So it happened. Cora killed the stable boy when Regina and he were preparing to run away and live their happy ending."

"Oh my God! He knew what was going to happen all the time. How was he able to allow it?" Regina was indignant and for the first time in a long time, Mr. Gold felt sorry for the woman and felt guilty. "He was cruel! More cruel than Cora."

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not realize that Emma and Neal had returned. Emma went to check on Regina, but stopped at the door when she heard the conversation between the two. For a moment, she thought he was trying to convince her that all that was real and almost went into the room to stop him, but she stayed outside, just listening. She asked Neal to take Henry to get something to eat, and very soon after, father and son left the apartment. Emma returned to the bedroom door and slid down the wall, sitting on the floor and listening attentively to every word that was being said.

"Yes. He was very cruel." Mr. Gold agreed.

"But... but..." Regina stuttered without understanding. She promptly remembered Daniel and it did not make sense. "What about Daniel?"

"Daniel has done his mission, dear." Mr. Gold now spoke softly, as if his voice had become a light caress. "It was already written, not by him, but by something bigger than all of us." Seeing the face of doubt and confusion that the woman was giving him, he explained. "Love."

"Love?" She asked huskily of sleep. Gradually, she was becoming more and more sleepy. It would be a matter of minutes until she fell into a deep sleep and Mr. Gold knew that. In a way, he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. He wanted, at least once in his life, explain to this woman his side of the story, even though she did not understand that everything he was saying was, in fact, real.

"Yes, love. Is there something bigger and powerful than that?" He asked, but no answer came, her eyes were beginning to close, but he knew she was still listening. "Regina, you need to understand and accept that Daniel was not your true love." He whispered. "He did love you and you really loved him, because love is spread throughout every corner and is able to take the shape it wants."

Mr. Gold was speaking in a voice so delicate that Emma could barely hear. Regina had already fallen asleep.

"But your true love, Regina, the other half of your heart, the light that can rescue you from the darkness is in Storybrooke. He is waiting for you." He whispered and pulled a strand of hair that was now in Regina's face. This was the small and delicate woman he helped destroy. "You deserve to live the true love, Regina. Something so strong, so deep and true, that can be everything, will be able to recover and rebuild what was broken."

Thus, he covered her up and left the room. Emma was already out the door, tears of sadness and understanding in her eyes. For the first time, she could understand a little of what was Regina's life. For the first time, she almost could understand the woman.

* * *

**So, guys? What you think? I wanted so hard that something like this could happen on the show!**

**In the next, we're going to see the three of them going home... I know you want Archie and Regina to be together as soon as possible, but please, just keep calm. When it happen, I promisse, you are going to have your dose of romance and cuteness and fluffy and, and, and... haha ;)**

**Thank you all for the amazing feedback. You are incredible!**

**Sugestions, guesses, requests, doubts... just let me know!**

**See ya soon!**

**Barbara ;)**


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